JOURNEY
by sesshys jaded samuri
Summary: [SingleSpark 2006 nom. Best Angst,Drama] Set in modern day America, Kagome, in an attempt to help a friend, sets out on a journey that will change her life in more ways than she could have ever imagined, SessKag [COMPLETE]
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** All characters pertaining to the show InuYasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi. I am not making any money from this...the only thing that I am getting out of this story is the satisfaction of knowing that other people enjoy my writing. All original characters are my creation and belong to me...as does the plot and storyline.

A/N: I will warn you now that Sessh will be OOC in parts of this story... This is going to be the only warning of OOC-ness.

**JOURNEY**

_**Chapter 1**_

A patch of crimson spread across the horizon as if it was challenging the approaching darkness. The sky in the east was already dark, and the heat of the day was quickly fading away as a crisp breeze pushed its way across the reservation. A storm was brewing in the distance, and the wind carried the smell of rain and the sound of thunder. The date on the calendar read April 2nd.

Kagome had just finished folding all that she could carry into her backpack, when her friend Sango popped her head through the open bedroom window. Kagome smiled precariously at Sango, who was bursting with anticipation. Kagome leaned out of the window and tossed her pack to the ground. She reached over and turned off the lamp on the floor. Then she slipped out the window and met Sango outside. They took each other's hand and headed away from the trailer where Kagome's grandfather slept peacefully.

Kagome's grandfather, Raymond Gray-Eagle, was a wise man. But lately, his arthritis was catching up to him. He was a teacher at the grade school in Cameron. He was a good and honorable man. Constantly, he reminded her of the importance of her Japanese and Lakota heritage, the traditions of the Sioux as well as those of the Navaho. She had spent the last ten years of her life learning those traditions. Kagome knew most of them by heart, but that night, she didn't care about customs or traditions. She was leaving.

In the recent years, the reservation had become a living hell for the young people who lived there. A good amount of elders had passed over into the spirit world, and the ones, who remained, in Kagome's opinion, were senseless fools who clung to their traditional ways like helpless children and refused to give the modern world a chance. Kagome and Sango were tired of simply existing as an object of ridicule. They, as well as others their age, were also tired of being held in contempt by the white people. They were sick of being referred to as 'poor' or 'lazy red-skins' and 'drunks that live of welfare'. There was also a lot of crime on the reservation. Naturally, no one cared. There were murders and rapes nearly every week. Three guys from the reservation had raped one of their friends, and she was now four months pregnant. She was only fourteen years old, and now her life was ruined. Kagome and Sango were not going to wait around for it to happen to one of them. They had decided to leave the reservation and make a life for themselves in the real world, by themselves.

Kagome was eager to get started, for she knew that they had a long hike across the Arizona desert ahead of them, as well as the mountains in front of them. There was a storm blowing down front the mountains from which there would be little shelter. Also, she knew that the longer they lingered, they ran the risk of being caught by her grandfather, or worse. The three men who had terrified so many of the young girls on the reservation could catch them out alone.

Kagome had very few regrets about leaving. She had never really felt like she belonged there. Although she had lived there for a little over ten years, she had never quite fit in. She had endured a lot of teasing from others her age, because she was half Japanese. Her grandfather had always taught her to be proud of what she was. He always said that she was the best of both worlds, but Kagome didn't see it that way. But that night, none of that mattered. She was leaving it all behind her in the beat up trailer that used to be her home.

As they walked across the yards of their friends and neighbors, Kagome looked at Sango. Even in the quickly receding moonlight, she could see the bruises on Sango's arms and face. Underneath her shirt, Kagome knew that there were more. She knew that they had made the right decision in leaving. Sango's mother was a drunk, old whore who would spread her legs for any man who had twenty dollars in his pocket or a case of beer in the back of his truck. Sango's mother was bitter and full of hatred. She hated everyone, including herself, but especially her teenaged daughter who still had all of the beauty that she herself had once possessed, but had lost long ago to a life of drugs, alcohol and prostitution, Kagome had witnessed her cruelty on more than one occasion and at one time, in Sango's defense, she had even been the target of it.

Sango, like herself, was another one of the many children that had been conceived as a result of American citizens of Japanese descent being forced into custody after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Everyone that the government could find, if they even looked like they might have Asian heritage, was herded up like cattle and shipped off to be detained until the fighting was over. Eventually, they were all allowed to return. But some of children, like Sango's and Kagome's grandmothers, who had been orphaned during the war, were adopted by loving families on the reservations were they had been carted off to. Eventually, they had grown up and had children of their own, and so on.

Kagome had often wondered whether or not she would have even been born if Sango's mother had been her mother. Sometimes, Kagome wished that she hadn't been. It was a curse to be a half-breed, she thought, and she had blamed her own mother for that mistake for many years after she died and left Kagome to live with her grandfather. Kagome's eyes were a dead giveaway to her mixed heritage. Most of the time, they were a dark shade of green, but when she was angry or sad, they would change shades slightly. Her skin was lighter than her grandfather's, but still too dark to be white. Kagome's hair was also different from other Indians'. Kagome's hair was not the normal ebony of an Indians' hair. It had auburn highlights, so that it was obvious to all that she was not full blooded anything. She belonged nowhere.

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By the time they left the reservation, it had started to drizzle. The approaching storm had blown over the San Francisco Mountains and they were walking right into it. Lightning was flashing around them. Sango was scared, but they continued to walk towards Cameron, where they would head south on the highway.

It took them about an hour to reach the highway. The girls started heading for Flagstaff. They walked for what seemed like an eternity before they even saw a car heading in any direction. Very few people traveled down that stretch of I-89 at night. Finally a couple of guys in an old Camaro stopped to give them a ride. They were soaking wet and very tired when they crawled into the back seat.

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The girls got out when they reached the outskirts of Flagstaff. They were tired and hungry and ready to get some sleep. Between the two of them, they had saved almost a hundred dollars. It was more than enough to get a cheap motel for a couple of nights. So they went in search of a suitably inexpensive place to spend the night. The girls checked into the Dunes Motel. It was almost dawn when they fell asleep, and they slept well into the morning.

The girls got up at around ten o'clock. They changed clothes and went to get a bite to eat before looking for work. They walked down the street they were staying on as well as several others. Finally, they came upon a small diner. The breeze carried wonderful aromas from inside. The girls went in, grabbed a couple of menus and sat down.

"What can I get for you two?" a nice old woman asked as she picked up the menus from the table.

"We'll have a couple of cinnamon rolls," Sango answered. "They smell wonderful."

"Thank you very much. My name is Rose. Just call me if you need anything else."

Rose bustled off to the kitchen as quickly as her short little legs could carry her. She went into the kitchen and returned with a couple of cinnamon rolls. She sat them on the table and then scurried across the room to clean the other tables. But as Rose made her way back to the kitchen, her knee gave out and she fell to the floor amidst a clutter of trays. Kagome and Sango rushed to help her.

"Thank you so much," Rose said as they helped her to her feet. "I'm just not so young and agile as you two anymore. I have been looking for some help, but it's so hard to find anyone I can trust."

"Well, I'm sure you'll find someone soon," Sango said as she picked up the trays and carried them to the elderly man who was washing dishes in the kitchen.

"How would you two ladies like to work here?" Rose asked as her face lit up with hope.

"Well," Kagome said, "I don't know."

"Oh, come on," Rose bargained. "I'll give you two dollars an hour, each, plus two meals a day. You can't beat that anywhere in town except over at them strip bars downtown, but you two don't appear to be that type. And I'm not trying to be prejudiced or anything, but no one in this town, other than them strip bars, is going to hire two teenaged Indians. Now do we have a deal?"

"Oh, ok," Kagome said as she looked at Sango.

"Good," Rose said, overjoyed. "I make pretty decent tips, do you two should do ok. Now, let's go into the kitchen and I'll introduce you two to Ellis."

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Rose and Ellis Crawford had opened the café some fifteen years earlier. They had run the diner pretty much on their own since then. The fact that the girls were Indian made no difference to them. Rose and Ellis only saw two young girls who were eager to earn their pay. They also had a young white girl and a wimpy white guy who worked the evening shift.

Rose was right about the tips. By the end of the week, the girls had made enough to pay for an extra week at the motel. The girls talked it over and decided to keep working through the summer so that they could save up enough money to go up to South Dakota. They knew it would take several months before they could save enough money to live on once they got there.

_TBC..._

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	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** All characters pertaining to the show InuYasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi. I am not making any money from this...the only thing that I am getting out of this story is the satisfaction of knowing that other people enjoy my writing. All original characters are my creation and belong to me...as does the plot and storyline.

_**Chapter 2**_

Kagome and Sango had been working at the café for nearly a month when Ellis became ill. Everyone was pulling double shifts to take up the slack and help pay for his doctor bills. Rose was constantly going home to check on him. Kagome and Sango, being the most responsible employees, were pretty much running both shifts for her. The other girl was not quite bright enough to handle everything on her own.

Ellis was home for about a two weeks before he was admitted to a hospital. Rose was so worried that she could not think straight. Everyone did all that they could do to help, and despite the fact that everything appeared to be in total chaos, business was actually picking up.

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June arrived with a heat wave and Ellis' health continually declined. Kagome and Sango took separate shifts so that Rose could be with Ellis as much as possible. Kagome and Scott, the wimpy white guy, took the night shift. Sango and Lisa took the day shift. Lisa got promoted to cook with a very slight raise in pay, which was a good thing, because she was a terrible waitress. Sango made good tips most of the time. Lisa and Sango didn't get along very well though because Lisa was a bit too conceited. Kagome and Scott didn't work very well either, because although he was a nice enough guy, Kagome would not go out with him; an honor for which he continually begged.

Ellis died near the end of June. The doctors said that he had gotten pneumonia from the recent rains and bad weather. Rose was devastated, and could not concentrate on anything. Rose was totally alone in her grief, for she had no family. Their son had died in Korea, and their daughter had been killed in a car accident back in 1963. Kagome and Sango did all that they could do to help, but in the end, there was nothing they could do to heal her broken heart. They had been married for forty years, and then suddenly, he was gone and she was left with no one.

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Nearly a month passed after Ellis' death. The girls were still on separate shifts, and they didn't mind too much. Kagome was still working nights and Sango was still working days. They hadn't had a day off in over a month. To Rose it was starting to show. The girls looked exhausted.

On Saturday, July 30th, Rose came in and closed up. She sent everyone home for the day. They would open back up for the night shift, which meant that Kagome and Sango had the day to do whatever they wanted to. So, they decided to go shopping for some new jeans and boots. Afterwards, they went to a movie.

The girls got to the theatre and bought their tickets and some popcorn. They found some seats near the middle of the theatre. When the movie started, it was kind of gross. The whole show was about slimy space aliens.

About forty-five minutes into the movie, Kagome had to go to the restroom. She got up and went into the Ladies' room. While she was washing her hands, she heard two girls whispering to each other behind her back. She heard the phrase 'filthy Indian' and 'trash' more than once. She knew that they were talking about her and she was furious. She casually walked past them as she was leaving.

"You need watch what you say and who's around when you say it, or someone might have shut that smart little mouth for you," Kagome said as she walked out the door.

Kagome got in line at the concession stand to buy some more popcorn. Kagome got her popcorn and a drink and was paying for it when she realized that the girls from the restroom were in line behind her. They were insulting her again. The cashier saw what was going on and asked Kagome to ignore them, but when one of the girls put her chewing gum in Kagome's hair, she lost any hope of remaining calm. Kagome bought a second cup of soda. Then she turned and dumped it over the blonde girl's head. The girl, in turn, slapped Kagome. Kagome calmly set her popcorn back on the counter. Then she grabbed the girl's hair and jerked her head down. Then Kagome smashed her knee into the girl's face, sending the girl crashing to the floor.

Kagome took her popcorn, soda and change and left the cashier laughing behind the counter as the girls tried to figure out what had happened. Kagome headed back into the theatre. But as she was fumbling with the door, her money slipped from her hand. As Kagome bent down to retrieve it, so did someone else. They both stood, still holding the dollar bill.

"Here," he said as he looked to the concession stand. "I was just trying to help out."

"Thank you very much," she replied as she looked up. She raised her eyebrows and waited for him to release her money. And as soon as he did, she took her money and hurried back inside to sit down with Sango.

Sango was biting her lip and was totally entranced by the movie. Kagome thought about the guy from the concession. He was kind of cute. Then she thought about how she had decked that girl from the bathroom. She was quietly thinking to herself when she heard some guys talking behind her. "Man, when I was out there, there was this Indian girl out there. She was beautiful. Anyway, here were these two white chicks and they were jacking with her. She laid one of them out like it was nothing. Then those stupid white chicks started screaming and called the pigs." That caught Kagome's attention. She got up and went to the door, where she peeked out into the lobby.

The police were in the lobby talking to the two hysterical girls, one of which had a nosebleed. The police were taking a description from the girls. Kagome knew that if they caught her, she would go to jail, just because she was Indian, not to mention a runaway. That alone made her guilty. When she saw the girls point to the door where she was standing, she ducked back inside so they wouldn't see her. She ran back down the aisle and grabbed Sango.

Just as they stumbled into the aisle, the doors flew open. They turned and looked at the police officers coming towards them. Kagome and Sango ran through the aisles and headed for the fire exit. As they reached the exit, they turned and looked back only to see several sodas and a few bags of popcorn flying at the policemen. Someone had thrown them as a distraction, and it had worked. The police hesitated to figure out who, out of fifty people, had thrown them. Kagome and Sango ducked out the door and disappeared down the alley.

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Sango went home to the motel. Kagome went to the café. She unlocked the door with a key that was hidden behind a loose brick. She went inside and put the rolls into the oven. Then she waited for Scott to get there. He showed up about an hour later and started cooking for dinner.

People started coming in at around seven o'clock and it was pretty steady. Business died off for the night at around ten, so Kagome sent Scott home, mainly because he was really starting to bother her. At around ten-thirty, a biker came in. He was kind of tall and skinny, but not too skinny. He had dark violet eyes and was wearing glasses. He was kind of handsome, in an intellectual way. He had the demeanor of someone very wise, like her grandfather. Kagome took his order and made it to go. He ordered five burgers and five orders of fries. Kagome watched him from over the counter as she made his order. He was looking at her in a warm friendly way that made her feel at ease. She also had a feeling that she would see him again. He took his order and left, smiling.

Kagome closed shortly after he left, seeing that there were no other customers and that she was alone. Scott would be back at eight in the morning to cook for breakfast. Kagome decided to curl up in one of the booths and take a nap.

Kagome was having a pleasant dream. In her dream, she was at a pow-wow in the mountains. She was dancing in a circle. She was wearing a deerskin dress. Her hair was down and the sun gleamed off the highlights in it. Then a man, wearing leggings of deerskin and a breastplate, appeared out of nowhere. His hair was pulled back with a leather thong with a feather hanging loosely. He joined her in the dance. He took her hand as they danced around the circle to the beat of the drums. Then the drums slowly changed to pounding. Kagome woke up to Sango and Scott pounding on the window for her to let them in.

_TBC..._

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	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **All characters pertaining to the show InuYasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi. I am not making any money from this...the only thing that I am getting out of this story is the satisfaction of knowing that other people enjoy my writing. All original characters are my creation and belong to me...as does the plot and storyline.

_**Chapter 3**_

It did not take them long to get set up for breakfast. Lisa did not show up for work, so Kagome ended up staying to cover for her. Kagome changed the date on the cash register to July 31st and wrote a note for Rose explaining that Lisa didn't show up for work, again.

"I'm taking a break," Sango announced as she marched into the kitchen and handed Scott the orders. "It's twelve o'clock and I've been on tables all morning," she griped to Kagome. "It's your turn, babe."

Kagome took the order pad from Sango and ventured out into the dining room. There were twenty tables, most of them empty. Several black families sat over in one corner. It was Sunday, so Kagome figured that most of them had just come from church. Some Hispanic men were eating doughnuts at the bar. Five bikers sat at two tables near the door. Three Navaho men whom she recognized from the reservation were drinking coffee at a table to her left. The only customers left to be waited on were the bikers. She was a little nervous, so she took a deep breath and approached their tables.

"Can I take your orders?" She asked nervously.

"Relax," one of them said. "We don't bite." It was the same guy who had come in the night before and ordered burgers to go.

"I do," one of them said as he snaked his arm around her waist.

Kagome nearly lost her breakfast when she caught a whiff of his breath. He reeked of alcohol and filth. She immediately jerked away from him and said, "Gross. I ain't on the menu, asshole."

"Leave her alone," the dark-haired one told her aggressor. Then he looked at her. "We'll have five of the #3 special."

"I'll be back shortly," she said as she turned to retreat into the kitchen. As she passed their table, one of the Navaho men pinched her on the bottom. Kagome turned and glared at him before she stormed into the kitchen.

"Did you get a good look at that ass?" one of the bikers asked the others.

"Yeah, I did," one of them replied, "and if I had a swing like that on my back porch, I'd fall asleep in it."

"Yeah," another one replied, "she sure has a cute wiggle. The worst part about it is that she ain't even doing it on purpose."

"No shit," the first one replied. "That shake comes naturally."

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About ten minutes later, Kagome came back into the dining room carrying three plates of food for the bikers. She went back into the kitchen to retrieve the other two orders. When she came back out, one of the Navaho men, a particularly overweight slob who reeked of stale whiskey and sweat, grabbed her and made her drop one of the trays. She turned to face him.

"You'll have to pay for that," she informed him.

"Make me, baby," he sneered as he blew her a kiss.

Kagome stomped her foot and walked away. She handed the other plate to her customer and apologized for the delay, assuring him that his food would be there quickly. Then she returned to clean up the mess. As she bent down to pick up the pieces of glass and food, the same Navaho man who had caused her to spill the food in the first place, started playing with her hair. She slapped his hand away, but that did not discourage him. As soon as she returned to cleaning, he was messing with her again. Finally, she got up and glared at him.

"Listen, Fat Boy," she said as she jabbed her finger at his chest, "Keep your nasty hands off me. I ain't a toy for you to play with. Now if you touch me again, I guarantee, you'll regret it." Then after having said her piece, she marched back into the kitchen.

Eventually, Kagome emerged from the kitchen with a fresh pot of coffee and the last plate of food for the bikers. As she passed by them, one of the Navaho men purposely spilled his coffee all over the table.

"Oh waitress," he smiled as he pointed at the mess, "I need some more coffee."

"Just a minute," she said to him as she handed the last biker his food. "What you **need**, is a **bullet** in your **fat** ass," Kagome mumbled to herself, just loud enough for the bikers to hear. They all kind of chuckled as she walked away.

"Are you going to clean this up and give me some more coffee, or not?" he asked in a voice that sounded as if her were annoyed.

"Yeah, yeah," Kagome said as she walked over to their table. She calmly poured more coffee into the empty cup. "Here you go," she said as she turned to leave. One of them tossed a chunk of doughnut at her as she turned away. Kagome stopped to pull the food from her hair. Then she turned back to the table and proceeded to pour half of the coffee in the pot onto the center of the table. When they stood up to escape the coffee pouring over the edges of the table, Kagome decided to make a hasty retreat to the kitchen.

Fat Boy grabbed Kagome by the hair and threw her across the table, pressing her face into the spilled coffee. Then he took off his belt and swung it at her while the others held her down. When the leather made contact through her t-shirt, she gritted her teeth against the pain. It was a new experience for her. She had never been hit with a belt before, and it hurt.

Then, just as quickly as they had pulled her onto the table, Kagome pushed herself up and smashed the coffee pot and its contents into the side of Fat Boy's face, sending glass and hot coffee everywhere. One of the Navaho men punched Kagome in the stomach and then backhanded her. Kagome was sent sprawling backwards, hitting the back of her head on one of the tables where the bikers were trying to eat. Lights exploded behind her eyes and everything went blurry. Kagome blacked out as she hit the floor.

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Kagome was a little disoriented, but she realized that she was on the floor. One of the bikers was kneeling at her feet. He extended his hand to her and kind of smiled at her as he shook his head. It was the same guy she had run into at the theatre on the previous day. She was kind of embarrassed, so she looked down at the floor as he helped her to her feet. He took his other hand and tilted her chin up.

"Are you alright?" he asked as he looked into her eyes.

Kagome was not sure how to respond, for when he looked into her eyes, she had looked back. She had just looked into the most beautiful pair of golden eyes that she had ever seen. They seemed to look right into her soul. She had also seen something in his eyes: something wild and exciting, something dark and passionate, something dangerous and very possessive.

"Hey, are you ok?" he repeated as he gently shook her shoulder.

"I think so," she replied shyly, turning her eyes to the floor. The biker tilted her chin back up to examine her face.

"Keep your greasy hands off our women," Fat Boy told the biker.

The biker took Kagome's hand and stepped between them.

"I said to let go of her. We don't want your kind touching our women," he repeated very loudly.

"Then maybe you should treat them better, fat ass," the biker replied.

The fat Indian pushed the biker, but the biker refused to let go of Kagome's hand. The Indian pushed the biker again, but he still would not let go. Then one of the other bikers took her hand and led her back behind the counter. Once he saw that she was out of the way, the fair haired biker who had come to her rescue went after Fat Boy with a vengeance. Before long the others had joined the fight and things were getting nasty.

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It did not take long for it to end, though. The golden-eyed biker, who had offered his assistance, was dragging Fat Boy out the front door, followed closely by the others. The few patrons who remained, the ones who had not fled during the fight, were too shocked to say anything. Kagome followed everyone outside.

"Thank you," she said shyly as the silver haired man walked up to her. He did not reply. She looked away, not daring to look into his eyes again as he examined her face. He walked over to his bike and took a bandana from his saddlebags and returned to her. He wet the tip with his mouth and then carefully cleaned the blood from the corner of her lip. Then he went back and sat down on his bike without ever saying a word.

The tall dark-haired biker took Fat Boy's wallet and took out two hundred dollars. Then he threw it back at him. The biker walked over to Kagome and handed her the money. She gratefully accepted it.

"This is for the damages," he explained as he handed her the money. Then he took an additional fifteen dollars from his own wallet. "This is for our breakfast," he told her, but he noticed that she was paying more attention to his tall brooding friend, who was now rearranging his saddlebags. "Hey," he said, trying to avert her attention, "you should put some ice on your lip before it swells up. It would be a shame to put a bruise on such a pretty face."

Kagome looked down as she felt her cheeks grow warm. Several of them chuckled at her reaction. The bikers all got on their motorcycles and pulled out onto the street. Kagome looked up and watched them ride up the street before she went back inside where Sango and Scott were trying to clean up the debris they left behind.

Rose came in a little after five o'clock. The diner had been straightened up for quite a while, but Rose noticed Kagome's lip. The girls explained what had happened, and although they protested vehemenently, Rose insisted on closing early. She sent everyone home.

"What's eating you?" Sango asked, noticing that Kagome was a bit distracted as they walked to the motel.

"Nothing," Kagome replied.

"You're not a good liar. I know what's got you so bugged."

"Oh yeah? What?"

"You're thinking 'bout that good looking biker from this morning."

"No I'm not."

"Liar. You are too. Why else would your face be lit up like a damn Christmas tree?"

"Ok. Ok. So what if I am?"

"He was kind of cute, though."

"Yeah, he was, but you know...his hair has to be the most unusual color...almost silver."

That was where the conversation ended. As they walked past an appliance store window, they stopped to look at a live news bulletin being broadcast on one of the televisions in the window. A reporter was showing live coverage of a massive brushfire. It had already destroyed many homes near Cameron. One of the areas it had shown was where Sango had lived. It appeared that the fire was nearly under control, but it had already destroyed much. Kagome was relieved that it had not gotten too close to her grandfather's home. Neither on of the girls really wanted to know whether or not Sango's mother had been home when her house had caught fire. They walked the rest of the way home in silence.

They both took showers and went to bed. Sango fell asleep quickly, but sleep was no sanctuary for Kagome. Haunting visions of the golden-eyed stranger whose name she did not dare to ask plagued her dreams. In her dream, she was sitting on the side of a highway, surrounded by a vast, seemingly endless wilderness, alone. She was alone, and she had been crying, but she was not certain why. Towering trees surrounded her for as far as the eye could see. Shining mountains glittered over the treetops. An eagle flew overhead. As Kagome looked on the eagle circled down and landed in front of her. She blinked as lightning split the darkening sky. When she opened her eyes, before her was the silver-haired biker sitting atop his iron steed, with his hand reaching out for her. She looked into his eyes, and she was lost in them. His eyes were deep, fathomless pools of liquid fire the color of an eagle's feather being kissed by golden sunlight. She was drowning in a sweet tumult of emotions that his gaze awakened in her…

_TBC..._

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	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **All characters pertaining to the show InuYasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi. I am not making any money from this...the only thing that I am getting out of this story is the satisfaction of knowing that other people enjoy my writing. All original characters are my creation and belong to me...as does the plot and storyline.

_**Chapter 4**_

Monday morning Kagome woke up in a cold sweat, sitting straight up in bed. She looked around the room for something to distract her from her disturbing dreams. She found nothing. The clock on the wall read twelve forty-five a.m., and Kagome could not go back to sleep.

Kagome got up and put on a pair of ragged-out blue jeans, a gray tube-top and her new boots. She left a note for Sango and then walked out into the night. She walked down to Main Street where most of bars and nightclubs were. There were groups of teenaged kids drag racing up and down the streets. There were still lots of people hanging around. Kagome spotted a group of people around her age and she made her way to them. One of the girls handed Kagome a joint. Kagome took a hit or two from it to calm her nerves before she headed up the street. Finally, a tattoo shop caught her eye.

She walked across the street and went inside. The tattoo artist was a pretty big looking, hairy biker who was missing most of his teeth. He was looking at her like she was a piece of meat. Kagome ignored him and began looking at the pictures on the walls. Finally she decided what she wanted. She sat down in the chair and had the man tattoo two beautiful, gray feathers dangling from a colorfully beaded disc with the kanji for her name in the center of it, on the back of her left shoulder. It took about an hour and thirty minutes for him to finish, and it did not hurt very much. When she was finished, she turned to pay the man. She heard the door open, but she did not turn around. Suddenly, someone placed a large greasy hand on her arm.

"Ain't it funny how we keep running into each other," came a gravely voice from behind her. She turned around and found herself face to face with the almost crimson eyes of the filthy biker from the café. Alarm shot through her, but she wasn't sure why. All she knew was that she had to get away from him, right then. Kagome jerked her shoulder away from him and paid the artist. The filthy biker blew her a kiss, which only frightened her even more. Kagome ran out the front door and slammed into the silver-haired biker from her dream. They both fell to the ground. Kagome scrambled to her feet when she realized whom she had just knocked over. "Gomen," she apologized franticly as she turned and not knowing what else to say, went the other way as fast as she could.

As the bars and clubs started closing, people became more and more frequent on the streets. She spotted the three men from the reservation who had cause the fight at the café, for which she was sure she would lose her job. They were coming out of a liquor store with several cases of beer and whiskey. She made it a point to stay clear of them and decided to head back to the motel. She walked on until she reached her room and crawled back into bed, but she couldn't go back to sleep.

Back down town, the bikers left the tattoo shop and went back to the Dunes Motel. They had a party to start. They called some of their friends, who arrived with adequate noise and some liquor. It did not take long for it to get rather loud. The managers left at ten o'clock, so they didn't care what went on. There were only two other rooms being rented out at the time because they were in what was considered a bad part of town.

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At around four-thirty, the noise got a little too loud for Kagome to tolerate. So, she got up and dialed the phone. She called room 110, where the party was going on.

"Hello," came a voice from the other end of the line.

Kagome picked up the phone and walked out on the balcony. "This is room 220, across the pool. There are people over here that are trying to sleep. Could you please turn it down a little?"

"I'm sorry," he replied. "Hang on. I'll tell them to keep it down." He yelled at the others to quiet down. "Hey you have a pretty voice."

"Thank you," Kagome blushed as she paced outside the front door. She was looking across the pool at the party when she was someone walk outside carrying the phone. A cloud moved to reveal the full moon. The glow of the moon reflected off the surface of the pool like a spotlight. Kagome recognized him as the same biker who she had knocked over at the tattoo shop. Kagome ducked back inside hoping that he had not seen her and hung up the phone.

"Sesshomaru," Kouga, the tall brunette with blue eyes, asked him as he walked back inside, "why didn't you ask her over?"

"She didn't look like she wanted to," he replied. "She looked like she wanted to disappear. 'Sides, she's too nice. She wouldn't have anything to do with our type. I ain't nothing but biker trash to her. It's kind of obvious by the way she acts.'

"Oh give it up you two," Inu told them as the party began to disperse. "Let's get some sleep."

"Yeah, shut up you two," Naraku chimed in.

"Can it, Naraku," everyone said at once.

"Alright, alright," Naraku said as her flopped onto one of the beds. Sesshomaru went next door with Kouga and Miroku. Kouga and Sesshomaru got the beds, but Sesshomaru didn't get much sleep. Every little noise outside woke him up, and every time he closed his eyes, he saw a glittering pair of green eyes filled with rage and fear. Her light copper skin was as tantalizing to him as diamonds to a miner. In his dreams he saw a vast wilderness surrounded by mountains. An eagle screeched overhead. A wolf howled in the distance, searching for its mate. She sat alone. She was lost and exhausted, but determined to survive...

Sesshomaru woke up short of breath. He could not go back to sleep. "Maybe," he thought, "once I leave Flagstaff, I can get my mind off of her." Usually, he minded his own business, but when he had seen how spirited she was, even when she was fighting a losing battle against those idiots, he just had to interfere. But something had changed when their eyes met. He had never looked so deeply. It was as if he had seen into her soul, as if the very essence of her being had called out to him and been revealed when he looked into her eyes. He wondered if she had been affected the same way. But he told himself that she was too good for him and besides that he was leaving for Sturgis in a couple of days, so he would probably never see her again.

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Six o'clock came way too early for Sango and Kagome, who had not slept much at all. They dragged out of bed and headed for the café. It was a crisp morning for August 1st. The girls opened up and set the tables for breakfast. Then they cooked the cinnamon rolls. The breakfast crowd was almost non-existent, so much that the girls considered that they might have made too many rolls. By nine o'clock there was no business at all. Rose came in around ten thirty and went straight to her office upstairs. She was up there for half an hour before she came down with a bank bag.

"Come over here, girls," she motioned for them to sit down.

Kagome and Sango cautiously sat at the table, fearing that they were about to be fired for the damage caused during the fight. But instead of yelling at them, Rose slid the bag across the table to them.

"Here," she said. "Don't look inside. Just take the money and get yourselves on up to South Dakota, or wherever it was that you were planning to go."

"Rose," Kagome started, "we can't…."

"I don't want to hear it. I am closing the café. I can't do it anymore. I know that you two did the best that you could do for me, but I'm too old to do this anymore. You two are like my own children and I want you to remember that. Now shut up and take the money. Now go on," Rose said as she shooed them out the door.

Kagome and Sango looked at each other as Rose turned off the neon sign in the window. They watched the tears form in her eyes as she walked back to the kitchen. They decided to go back in and help her, but she would have none of it. She boxed up the food that was ready; scrambled eggs, bacon, biscuits, and cinnamon rolls, and gave them to the girls. Then she scooted them, out the back door. Knowing that Rose would not accept their help, the girls headed back to the motel.

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They packed up their belongings. Sango laid down to take a nap, while Kagome went down to the office to return their keys. She told the clerk that they were headed for South Dakota. They decided to wait until they got there to count the money, but Kagome was curious as to just how much money Rose had given them.

On the way back to the room, Kagome stopped at the soda machine next to the laundry. She pulled two dimes and two nickels from her pocket. She bought Sango a Coke. As she went to put the last nickel in for her drink, it slipped from her fingers and went rolling towards the pool. Kagome scrambled to retrieve it, but she was not quick enough. The nickel plopped into the pool.

"Don't you hate it when that happens?"

Kagome spun around to find the silver-haired biker leaning against the coke machine. She concentrated on fishing another nickel from her pocket, but the biker put one in the machine for her. He handed her a Dr. Pepper, for which she promptly thanked him. "Thank you," she said. "But you didn't have to. I have another nickel."

"I know," he replied, "but I wanted to. I saw that you and your friend were packing?"

"Yeah, we're fixing to leave. We are going up to South Dakota to visit one of the reservations there. I haven't been there since I was little." Kagome turned to leave, but before she did, she turned and smiled at him. "It was nice meeting you." Then she turned and left without looking back.

Her heart was racing a hundred miles an hour as she walked back to her room. "He **is **good-looking," Kagome thought to herself. Then she smiled as she felt her cheeks grow hot. She had never really been attracted to a guy before, so the warm feeling that spread through her made her uneasy. Kagome ducked into her room and quickly shut the door behind her.

"What?" Sango asked as she sat up.

"Nothing," Kagome lied.

Sango walked over to the window and looked out to see the silver-haired biker walking away from the coke machine. "I get it. You like him. Don't you?"

"No!" Kagome said quickly. "Of course not. Why would you say that?"

"It's kind of obvious. Deny it if you want, but I know the truth. Look, we need to get moving. There is still plenty of daylight left for us to travel in. We're going to need all of our money once we get there, so let's start walking."

_TBC..._

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**Read & Review...pretty please**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** All characters pertaining to the show InuYasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi. I am not making any money from this...the only thing that I am getting out of this story is the satisfaction of knowing that other people enjoy my writing. All original characters are my creation and belong to me...as does the plot and storyline.

**A/N: This chapter contains a violent scene of rape and murder. I will mark the segment when it comes up. If such content bothers you, SKIP IT.**** YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION! **

If you want to read the sexually explicit version of this story, instructions will be given at the bottom of this chapter.

**_Chapter 5_**

The girls headed northeast on Interstate 89. It didn't take them too long to hitch a ride with an Indian family headed back to Cameron. It was a long and tedious trip in the back of a station wagon with four noisy children, but the girls were thankful that they didn't have to walk. By the time they reached Cameron, Sango was ready to pull all of her hair out. Kagome and Sango gave the man five dollars for gas and then went to visit her grandfather. Raymond Gray-Eagle was not at home. Kagome left him a note:

_Grandfather,_

_I'm sorry for the way things turned out. I feel really bad about leaving in the middle of the night like I did, but I had to get Sango away from her mother. I felt like I was suffocating here. I never really felt like I belonged here anyway. Please forgive me. Sango and me are doing fine. We have been in Flagstaff. We have been working in a restaurant there since we left. But they closed the café yesterday, and now Sango and me have decided to go up to South Dakota, to Rosebud and visit the reservation there. I want to see where mother lived one more time. I love you, and I will call you when I get there. _

_With Love, Kagome_.

The girls left Kagome's grandfather's house and headed back to the highway. They turned to the north and started walking. The next major town on their route was Montrose, Colorado, but they would pass near several small town between there and Cameron. Sango and Kagome stopped at a small gas station and bought a bunch of beef jerky to munch on along the way. The girls stuck out their thumbs and started walking.

They walked for a couple of hours, which in reality was only a few miles, before a group of teenage boys picked them up. They agreed to give them a ride as far as where they turned to go to Kayenta. The girls were very grateful, and agreed to pay them some gas money, because Kayenta was around eighty miles from where they were. It was also about halfway to the New Mexico border, which is where they were headed. From there they would go north into Colorado and then up into Wyoming and then on into South Dakota. If they had their own car, it would only take them two and a half days, but they were relying on others to get them to their destination. There would be times when they would have to walk, so Kagome figured it would take them around a week to get there. To say the very least, it was going to be a long and arduous trip.

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It was late in the evening when they reached the turn off for Kayenta, which is where they got out and started walking again. They walked for several miles in the dark. Kagome looked up at the night sky as she walked along the side of the highway. There weren't any streetlights out there to hide the stars and the moon. It was starting to get chilly, so Kagome lent Sango one of her long-sleeved shirts. Finally, at around eleven o'clock, a truck driver stopped to pick them up. She was a nice lady, but Kagome figured out by the way she was looking at the them, that the woman was a dyke, which meant that she liked other women, and that made Kagome very uncomfortable. She had heard about lesbians from some of the girls at school before she dropped out. But it was definitely something that she didn't want to find out about first hand. Just the thought of another girl touching her made her skin crawl.

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At some point during the night, Sesshomaru got up and went for a late night swim in the pool at the motel. He gazed up at the stars as he floated on his back. "There are too many lights here," he thought to himself. He saw a movement out of the corner of his eye, so he turned his head. He saw Kikyo, a tall, leggy, currently blond girl who liked to hang around with Inu, coming out of their motel room. She was carrying a towel, and wearing a tiny bikini that did absolutely nothing to enhance her figure. She was devious little bitch, and Sesshomaru knew it. She was also not very choosy about who she slept with. Sesshomaru knew at least twelve of his friends that she had been with, but for some reason Inu liked her, so Sesshomaru kept his mouth shut. She had been flirting with Sesshomaru since the first time they met, but Sesshomaru was not interested. Kikyo slinked silently into the pool, as if she was a cat stalking her prey, but Sesshomaru was on to her. As she slid silently through the water, Sesshomaru made his way out the other end of the pool. He grabbed his towel and headed up the stairs. He got dressed and went back down stairs. Kikyo was draped all over some Mexican guy in the pool, and it didn't bother her at all that his friend had his hand down the back of her swimsuit. Sesshomaru disgustedly shook his head and walked past them to his bike. He roared out of the parking lot and headed for a local biker bar, where he had a few drinks.

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It was early in the morning on August 2nd when Kagome and Sango got out at a truck stop near Montrose, Colorado. The girls went into the café there and sat down. They ordered something to eat and waited. After they ate, Kagome and Sango went outside. They walked up the road to a park and found a bench to sleep on. Kagome stayed awake while Sango curled up with her head in Kagome's lap. Kagome tried very hard to stay awake, but in the end she was fighting a losing battle. Exhaustion won, and Kagome too fell asleep.

It was mid morning when Kagome woke to find a couple of children poking her with a stick. Kagome opened her eyes and the children immediately dropped the sticks and ran away. Kagome nudged Sango, who sat up rubbing her eyes. They ate a little of the food in their packs and then began walking again. After a short distance, a nice old man picked them up and gave them a ride. He dropped them off near Gunnison, where they caught a ride with a couple of teenaged girls. The girls dropped them off at a truck stop near Johnson Village. Kagome was thankful for the ride and tried to give them gas money, but they wouldn't take it.

Sango and Kagome rested at the truck stop for a while and then headed east on Highway 285, making their way toward Denver. They walked until it got dark. It started to rain shortly after the sun went down and since they were up in the mountains, it was pretty chilly. The sounds of the wilderness scared Sango senseless, but Kagome felt at ease. Sango jumped every time and owl hooted or a raccoon chattered in the trees.

The girls had walked nearly ten miles from the truck stop when someone finally offered them a ride. The two guys poked their heads from the camper on the back of the truck and motioned for them to get in. It was dark and it was starting to rain again, so the girls decided to catch a ride while they still could.

Nearly two miles down the road, Kagome began to look around the camper. The two guys had gotten in the front of the truck, leaving the girls in the back alone. Kagome looked at Sango, who was sleeping silently then peeked under the tarp that was covering something about the size of a bail of hay. What Kagome found was cocaine, and a whole lot of it. There had to be at least a hundred small bricks of it. Kagome realized that they had made a terrible mistake. In her gut, she knew that there was no possible way that anything good could come of this situation.

Suddenly the truck swerved off the highway and headed down a long county road. They came to stop in a secluded rest area, after driving down a pathway leading from the main set of tables. Once they were out of sight from the road, they stopped. The guys dragged them from the back of the truck and over to one of the tables.

**ADULT CONTENT BEGINS HERE - READ AT YOUR OWN RISK**

"Well, well, well," Fat Boy sneered as he recognized the girls. "It looks like I just can't get rid of you two little bitches." The other two men held onto the girls as Fat Boy taunted them. He walked over to Sango and caressed her cheek before reaching down her shirt to fondle her breasts. Then he walked over to Kagome. "I have been waiting to do this ever since we met. You know, you cost me two hundred dollars the other day. You'll just have to make it up... somehow." Then he forced his mouth on hers. Kagome, repulsed, bit his lip.He pulled away and backhanded her to the ground, causing her to cut her right shoulder open on a discarded beer bottle and leaving her feeling dizzy. "Tie that little bitch up," he ordered as he grabbed Sango by the hair and threw her onto one of the tables. "We're going to make her watch what we're going to do to her once we finish with her friend." The other two tied Kagome's hands and feet and sat her down against a tree before they went back over to Sango.

"You're one of us," Fat Boy said to Sango as she began to cry hysterically. "You should be real friendly to us. Hell, your mother was friendly enough." He ripped her shirt open to reveal her small, firm breasts. "You know, your mama liked it rough." He leaned over and bit on them harshly. Sango cried out, begging him to stop, but her pleas fell on deaf ears. While he was biting on her, the other two were tearing off her pants and underwear. Fat Boy thrust himself between Sango's legs as the other two held her down. Kagome closed her eyes as Sango cried out to her for help.

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When he was finished with her, Fat Boy threw Sango onto the muddy ground, where she curled up like a baby and lay there crying in the rain. The men whispered among themselves and looked at Kagome, snickering. Then one of the men walked over to Kagome and caressed her breasts through her shirt as he attempted to kiss her. Kagome spit in his face. She watched the anger build in his eyes as he stood back up and walked over to Sango. She scrambled to get away as her pulled her up by her hair. He threw her back onto the table. Kagome watched as they forced her legs apart again. "This is what we're going to do to you," one of them said. "And you're going to like it. I've been wanting to fuck you ever since we were in junior high together. I bet you wish you'd paid more attention to me then, don't you? I used to really like you, but eventually I figured out that you were just a tease. You must think you're too good for us Navaho men, don't you. Well, I'm going to show you what you've been missing, and then you'll beg for more, just like this one's mama did."

It took every ounce of restraint that Kagome had for her not to vomit as the men sodomized and tortured her friend. Kagome could see by the expression on Sango's face, that her friend's mind was gone. Kagome decided then, that she would not suffer the same fate as her friend, even if it meant her own death. There was nothing she could do for Sango except find a way to free herself. Kagome twisted herself around so that she could reach the knife in her boot. While the men busied themselves with Sango's helpless body, Kagome used the knife to free herself. She remained still so that she didn't draw their attention. Then she closed her eyes against the horror being played out before her, and waited.

Then the unexpected happened. When they were through torturing Sango, Fat Boy stepped away from her. Everything got very quiet all the sudden. Kagome opened her eyes to see Fat Boy holding a gun to Sango's head. "NO!" Kagome screamed as she watched him squeeze the trigger. Fat Boy turned his attention to Kagome as the others rolled Sango's lifeless body onto the muddy ground.

"We'll have to go a little slower with this one. We might want to keep her around," Fat Boy sneered as they walked toward Kagome, "at least for a little while." Fat Boy dragged Kagome to her feet and forced his lips on hers.

"You'll die first, you fucking bastard," Kagome whispered as she plunged her knife into his belly, directly between his ribs, piercing his stomach and left lung. "You're not even fit for the wolves to eat." Kagome watched his eyes rolled back into his head as she pulled up on the knife, gutting him like a deer. Blood poured from the gaping hole in his stomach as he fell to the ground in a lifeless heap. Kagome took the gun from his hand and shot the second man in the chest, but he managed to crawl into the truck as the third man sped away.

_TBC..._

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**Read & Review...pretty please with Sesshy on top**

A/N: There is pretty much an entire paragraph missing from this version of this chapter... If you want to read the explicit version of this story, it is posted at - (**adultfanfiction . net)** - under the **same username**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** All characters pertaining to the show InuYasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi. I am not making any money from this...the only thing that I am getting out of this story is the satisfaction of knowing that other people enjoy my writing. All original characters are my creation and belong to me...as does the plot and storyline.

**_Chapter 6_**

Kagome's face was an emotionless mask as she took off her bloody shirt. She dragged Sango's body from the picnic area and into the woods. Kagome covered her body with a pile of rocks and pine tree boughs. It took several hours of hard work, but Kagome didn't even notice. She also didn't notice the throbbing in her right shoulder.

It was still dark on Wednesday morning when Kagome picked up Sango's backpack and began to walk toward the highway. She walked along the road until she reached the highway. It was almost dawn when Kagome collapsed from exhaustion. She sat down on the shoulder of the road. She put her long, sleeved shirt back on. She looked around her, but all she could see was trees. There were trees for a far as she could see. She saw an eagle flying overhead. The eagle, traditionally, was a messenger from the Great Spirit. Kagome knew that somehow she would survive, but her mind and body were numb. She wanted to cry, but she knew that if she started now, she might never stop, so she would not let herself. She told herself to be strong. She felt that if she were weak, she would go crazy.

Kagome heard a low rumble carried on the breeze. She looked southwest down the road. She could see five tiny motorcycles coming up the highway. As they drew near, Kagome was not inclined to move at all. She didn't really care about anything at all, so the least of her concerns was whether or not they stopped to pick her up. She rested her head on her knees and looked at the ground. Only when they stopped in front of her did she recognize them from Flagstaff.

He looked down at her, sitting on the shoulder of the road, and immediately noticed something wrong. Her green eyes were filled with such pain that it hurt him to look. Her clothes were torn and dirty; and bruises were beginning to show on her cheek and neck. He noticed the excessive amount of blood as well. His heart reached out to her even though he had no idea what had happened to make such a vibrant girl turn so jaded in only four days. He did the only thing he _could_ do: he held out his hand to her and let her know that, for the moment at least, she was not alone.

Kagome looked up with a face that was dirty and splattered with last night's rain. Her jeans were torn and dirty and had blood splattered all over them. The silver haired biker didn't seem to care how she looked. He held out his hand to her, and without knowing why, she accepted it. She reveled in the strength of that single touch. It made her feel strange, but in a way, it reassured her that she was not alone, at least for the moment. Kagome got onto the fender of his bike.

"Where's your friend?" asked the tall brunette.

Kagome's only reply was a silent shake of her head as a couple of tears forced their way down her cheeks and she fought to keep her lip from trembling. She wrapped her arms around the waist of her companion as they started up the road. She wasn't concerned about where they were going; she only wanted to get away from the rest stop where her best friend was buried under a pile of stones, off a deserted path in the Colorado wilderness.

Kagome rested her head against his back and watched as the scenery sped past her like a movie. Everything was a blur as she thought about what had happened to Sango. She didn't know why, but she wanted to trust the silver haired stranger. She glanced to her left and found that the creepy one was leering at her in a way that made her uncomfortable. She turned her head the other direction, and tried to think about something else, but it was not easy. Kagome wondered if she had made a mistake by taking a ride with these strangers. Sure they had helped her out at the diner, but she really didn't know anything about them, including the one she was riding with, the one she was undeniably attracted to.

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Finally, they turned off the interstate and headed down a two-lane county road. Kagome wondered where they were going. About two and a half miles up the road, they turned again and went down another county road. It was not long before they turned yet again. Finally, after several twists and turns, they made their way into Mt. Falcon Open Space Park. There were lots of trees for shade, but other than that, it was exactly what the name implies, open space, and a lot of it.

"What have I done," Kagome thought as her mind raced back to the events of the previous night. '_What was I thinking? What are they going to do to me? I have no idea where we are. I don't even know what town I'm in,'_ she thought as she began to panic. Kagome took a deep breath and told herself, '_I've got to remain calm. I can't let them know I'm scared._' She looked around, her eyes darting warily from one person to the next. She caught the smelly one staring at her. Kagome nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt a hand on her arm. She spun around and took a swing, but the silver-haired biker caught her hand.

He offered her a hit off of a joint that was being passed around. Kagome gladly accepted it, because she knew it would help calm her nerves. "Relax a little," he said with what looked like concern in his eyes. Kagome assured herself that she must have been mistaken. _'Why would he care about me_,' she asked herself. But, surely she was safe enough in a public park. She looked at him as he walked back over to the others. Then she went over and sat against a tree while they talked amongst themselves. She looked up and caught everyone looking at her, and it made her uncomfortable. She hugged her packs to her and went around to the other side of the tree where no one could see her. She was not quite ready to trust them yet. After what she had done, she was not even sure she could trust herself.

About forty-five minutes later, one of them came over and offered her some food, but she silently refused. As he turned away and returned to the others, Kagome turned and looked at him. It was the same one who had ordered the hamburgers on Saturday night. Kagome quickly turned away as she discovered her silver-haired savior watching her. He had beautiful eyes and a handsome face. He was very good-looking, but he seemed a little colder than he had been when she had talked to him at the coke machine. Then Kagome became aware of her own appearance. She realized how horrible she must look. She examined herself and found that her pants were torn and had dirt as well as blood on them, and so did her shirt. Kagome looked around and spotted a restroom several yards away, so she headed for it.

Kagome changed her clothes and began to rummage through her packs. She found that it would be easier to carry only one pack, so she folded everything into her pack. Only when she reached down to lift the backpack did she notice the throbbing pain in her right shoulder and upper arm. She looked in a mirror and she could see the angry red gash on the back of her arm. It was not too big from what she could tell, so she dismissed it. She put on a long sleeved shirt over her tube top and tied it at the waist, leaving it unbuttoned. Then she put on a tiny bit of makeup to help cover up the bruises on her face and throat.

When she emerged, she found the silver haired biker leaning against a tree, waiting for her. She glanced at him quickly before heading back toward his bike. He quickly grabbed her elbow. She turned to look at him, and jerked her arm free.

"We need to talk," he said as he pulled her to a picnic table. "Sit," he pointed at the seat across from him.

Kagome sat down, but she didn't say a word.

"Look, you can ride with me to South Dakota. We are headed for Sturgis. After we get to Sturgis, I'll take you to the reservation. But first, you need to be straight with me, or all bets are off."

"I don't know what you mean."

"I'm talking about how you and your missing friend are suspects in the murder of Rose Crawford." He paused briefly as the shock of what he had said registered on her face. "It's all over the news in Flagstaff how they think that you and your friend stole all of the money from the register and then killed her when you left."

"I didn't kill her. You have to believe me. She was like a grandmother to us. She gave us a bag of money from the safe upstairs, but not any from the register. She made us take it. She said she was closing down the diner. "

"I believe you. Now, where is your friend?"

"She's dead," Kagome said as she looked up into the trees, trying to choke back tears.

"Kagome, take a deep breath and tell me what happened."

"How is it that you know my name and I don't know yours?"

"You're names and pictures were on all the news channels in Flagstaff. And my name is Sesshomaru," he added. "Now tell me what happened."

"I really...don't ...want to talk about it,"

"It must be really bad...but I still need to know."

"Ok," she replied despondently. "Sango and me hitched our way up to a truck stop near Johnson Village. We were walking from there when it started raining. This truck stopped to pick us up, so we got in the camper. We rode with them until we got to a rest stop near where you picked me up. I looked under the tarp in the camper while they were driving. They were hauling a lot of cocaine, and I didn't recognize them until it was too late. They took us to that rest stop and…" Kagome began to falter.

"What happened?" He fought the urge to reach across the table to her.

"Oh God," Kagome said as she looked up into the trees, tears pouring down her cheeks. "They made me watch…while they…tortured...raped…" She rested her head on the table as sobs wracked her body. She didn't see the appalled look on his face.

"How did you get away?" he asked quietly.

"I carry a knife in my boot," she said between sobs. "I managed to reach it ...cut myself loose...Sango, they shot her… in the face...they came for me...that fat slob tried to drag me to my feet...I stabbed him." She took a deep breath and continued. "I took his gun and shot one of the others, but they managed to get to the truck and got away."

Without even realizing it, he reached across the table and took her hands in his. "You said they recognized them. Who were they?"

"It was the three Navaho men that were hassling me at the café Sunday."

"You said that you took his gun. Where is it?"

"In my backpack."

"Let me have it. You won't be needing it again."

"Here," she said as she handed it to him with trembling hands.

Sesshomaru took the gun from her and tucked it behind his belt, under his jacket. "Come on," he told her, "I'll introduce you to the others."

Kagome followed him back to the others. You'll be traveling with us for the next two days, so you might as well know their names."

"Guys," Sesshomaru said as they approached the others, "Kagome is going to ride with us to Sturgis, and then I'm going to take her to Rosebud." Sesshomaru motioned toward the brunette guy with vibrant, blue eyes, "This is Kouga."

"I'm Inu," one of them said. "My real name is InuYasha," he said as he lifted the sleeve of his shirt to reveal a tattoo of four playing cards, all aces, "but everyone just calls me Inu or Ace." He had long black hair that was peppered with silver, and he looked like he did too many drugs.

"I'm Miroku," the guy who had ordered the hamburgers at the diner said. He was very intelligent looking, especially when he was wearing glasses, as he was then.

"Yeah, and I'm Naraku. But most everyone calls me Skunk," the last one said as he approached her. Kagome felt a wave of nausea come over her as she discovered why they called him Skunk. He smelled like a case of tequila and looked like he hadn't taken a bath in weeks. She stepped away.

"Charmed," she said sarcastically as Naraku gave her a dirty look.

"Why don't you ride with Miroku," Sesshomaru suggested. "You'll be a little more comfortable."

"Oh, ok," Kagome replied quietly, a little disappointed.

"We have to make a stop in Denver, so we will be camping in Colorado tonight. Tomorrow, we have a couple of things to do in Cheyenne, so we will we camping in Wyoming tomorrow night," Miroku informed her.

"Alright," she agreed as she got on the back of Miroku's bike. He had a pad on the fender of his bike, which led Kagome to believe that he was used to having passengers. She glanced at Sesshomaru as they pulled back onto the road. He turned his head and caught her looking at him. He raised an eyebrow and sent her a warm smile. Kagome blushed and averted her attention to the scenery.

They stopped in Denver to visit Kouga's mother, who was in the hospital. She had Leukemia and she was dying. The doctors didn't expect her to live another month. Kouga's father was there too. Kagome stayed outside with the motorcycles while the guys went inside to see her.

_TBC..._

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**Read & Review**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** All characters pertaining to the show InuYasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi. I am not making any money from this...the only thing that I am getting out of this story is the satisfaction of knowing that other people enjoy my writing. All original characters are my creation and belong to me...as does the plot and storyline.

_**Chapter 7**_

They camped that night on the shores of a lake near Dixon, Colorado. Kagome kept to herself. She watched the others as they smoked pot and drank around the campfire. She noticed that Sesshomaru didn't drink as much as the others. He did not smoke as much as them either. She admired that. The only time she ever smoked or drank was when she needed to calm down. She sat down against a tree and rested her head on her knees. As she drifted off to sleep, she tried to think about the good times she and Sango had experienced together despite the conditions where they were raised. But in the end, her dreams only reflected the horror of the previous night.

At some point during the night, Sesshomaru got up and covered her with his jacket. Even though she slept, she was cold and she gratefully accepted it. But the warmth of the black leather offered no protection from the coldness of her dreams.

In the early hours of the morning on August 4th, Kagome woke up to the sound of a wolf howling, calling to its mate. As she raised her head, she found Sesshomaru sitting against his bike, watching her contently. When their eyes met, he gave her a warm smile. Surprisingly, she smiled back just as an answering howl from the wolf's mate pierced the quiet night. Kagome got up and walked over to Sesshomaru, who was looking up into the morning sky.

"It's peaceful, isn't it?" he asked.

"Hai, it is. Listen, thank you for letting me use your jacket," she said as she handed it back to him.

"It was nothing."

"I should have said this earlier, but thank you for picking me up. I'd probably still be out there if you hadn't. But why did you stop?'

"I don't know. I just wanted to, I guess."

Kagome got up and went over by the fire and laid down. As her shoulder hit the ground, she moaned slightly in pain. She had forgotten about it until then. Sesshomaru walked over to her and knelt down.

"Are you ok?" he asked her gently.

"I'm fine," she said through gritted teeth.

"Liar," he said as he helped her to her feet. "Come here." He led her to the opposite side of the fire from where the others were sleeping. He sat her down, and then he sat down behind her. He began to pull her long-sleeved shirt off of her shoulder, but Kagome jumped up and looked at him.

"Relax and let me look at your shoulder," he commanded. Kagome did as he told her, but reluctantly. He was dismayed at what he found. There were several large bruises as well as a nasty cut that wasn't too deep, but it was badly infected. "No wonder your shoulder hurts," he said. "This cut's infected. How did you get this?"

"I fell and hit it on a rock, ok?" she said defensively.

"Ok," he said sarcastically, "I didn't mean to offend you, but you know; you're not a good liar. This is too clean of a cut to have been caused by a rock."

"I'm sorry," she apologized, feeling guilty. "I'm just a little jumpy. But, you're right. I cut it on a broken beer bottle last night."

"It's ok. Look, this is going to hurt, but I have to clean it before the infection spreads any farther."

"Go ahead." She grit her teeth as she saw him take a bottle of whiskey from Naraku's saddlebags. She braced herself for the pain as he opened the bottle. He offered her a drink, but she refused. But she was not ready when he poured it on her wound. She grit her teeth, but she would not cry out. She did not want to show any weakness. Tears built, unbidden, in her eyes and began to roll down her cheeks. She turned her head so that he wouldn't see her cry, but it didn't work. He saw the tears, and they glistened like diamonds on her cheeks. He knew that she was trying to hide them, so he didn't let on, but it bothered him for some reason, to see her cry.

Then for an unknown reason, Sesshomaru leaned forward and kissed her shoulder, his lips lingering on her salty skin. Kagome's eyes flew wide open in shock. That was not something she had expected. But what really surprised her was that she wanted him to do it again. She turned around to look at him. As he got up, he gave her a smile that made her blush, a smile that was devilishly sensual...a smile that said that he'd like to kiss more than just her shoulder. Then he went back over to his bike and laid down. Kagome laid down where she was and went back to sleep.

Just before dawn, Sesshomaru woke Kagome by gently shaking her shoulder. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. Sesshomaru was packing his stuff onto his bike. Kagome got up and dusted herself off. Everyone was getting ready to leave. She got on the back of Miroku's bike and held onto him, wishing that she were riding behind Sesshomaru.

It didn't seem to take very long before they were in Cheyenne, Wyoming, where they were going to visit Miroku's family. Again Kagome kept herself apart from everyone because she felt awkward not knowing any of the people they were visiting. While they visited with the family, Kagome walked to the park across the street. She sat down at a table and rested her head on it. She was tired, mentally and physically. She closed her eyes and tried to think about what she would do once she reached Rosebud. Everything had changed. Nothing would be the same without Sango. Kagome wished they had never left Flagstaff as she dozed off to sleep.

Kagome raised her head and rubbed her eyes when she heard the motorcycles rumble to life. Sesshomaru waved for her to hurry up. It was later in the day than she had thought. It was two fifty pm. they had to make tracks to reach the camping grounds before dark. They still had around three hundred miles to go. Kagome hurried over to them and climbed on behind Miroku as they headed back to the Interstate.

------------------------------

Several hours later, they rolled into the campsite. They were inside the Black Hills National Forest. Kagome noticed that there was plenty of daylight left, so she helped them gather firewood. She discovered a beautiful creek as she was looking for firewood. It was far enough from camp that she didn't think she would have to worry about anyone walking up on her, so she vowed to return later for a bath. It was deep enough to swim in places and shallow enough to walk across in others. Kagome was on her way back to camp with an armful of firewood when Naraku stepped from behind a tree and grabbed her. He threw her to the ground and began to unzip her pants, but out of the blue, Kagome heard Kouga calling him. Naraku got up quickly, cursing under his breath and headed back to camp. Kagome got up and zipped her pants back up.

When Kagome walked back into camp, the guys had a nice fire going. Naraku gave Kagome a smug but dangerous look. Kagome quickly looked away, dropping her eyes to the ground where she set the firewood. Miroku noticed her reaction, and so did Sesshomaru. Kagome went over and sat down on the other side of Miroku's bike, looking out into the woods, hoping that no one would notice her. She crossed her legs and leaned back, resting her head against the bike. Then she let out a deep, troubled breath.

"Are you alright?" came a question from behind her. She looked up to see Inu walking around the bike. He sat down in front of her. "I asked if you are alright," he repeated.

"Hai," she replied. "I'm ok."

"You sure? You look like something's bugging you."

"I'm fine. It's nothing, really."

"Ok. If you insist," he said as he got up and went back to the others.

She sat there for a while before she got up. She called Miroku to the side and told him about the creek she had seen earlier. He nodded and gave her a shove, insisting that she would feel better after a bath.

Kagome walked back to the creek. She took off her boots and socks and then dipped her toes into the water. It was cool, but not too cold. The air was still warm from the day, but a cool wind was blowing from the north. The moon was starting to rise in the eastern sky. She quickly removed her clothes and jumped in. The water was about four and a half feet deep, coming to just below her shoulders. The bed of the creek was covered in a soft moss that felt wonderful between her toes. Kagome reveled in the feeling of the fresh, clean water rolling over her body.

Sesshomaru watched Kagome as she relaxed in the water. He wanted to join her, but he didn't think she would appreciate it. She seemed pretty naïve, and she was also scared of everything. But he couldn't blame her for that after what she had seen. He took a deep breath and returned to camp.

Kagome was getting back into her clothes when Naraku appeared from behind a tree. Kagome tried to run, but he pinned her to a tree, using the weight of his body to hold her there. He covered her mouth with his hand and unzipped her pants, pushing them down around her knees.

"Ooh," he said, "no panties. That makes it easier for me. I like that."

Kagome closed her eyes and turned her head to the side, trying to think of a way to escape. Her knife was still inside her boots and they were out of her reach. There was no option at the moment.

_Snick_

Kagome recognized the sound of a switchblade knife. Then she felt the cold steel against her belly as he began to cut her shirt open. He pressed the tip of it against her chest as if he was daring her to move. A drop of warm blood trickled down her chest as he cut her. Naraku uncovered her mouth and put his hand under her chin.

"You have real pretty lips, bitch." He told her. "I'd love to see them wrapped around my cock," he added as he unbuttoned his pants and let them fall to the ground. "I bet you're really good at sucking dick. Hell, you've probably let every bum on the reservation crawl off into your snatch, so what difference would one more make. God, I'm gonna love this."

"No, I…." Kagome started to protest, but he forced his mouth on hers. When she tasted the bottle of tequila that he had polished off at camp, she almost retched. Kagome dug her fingernails into his arm. He backhanded her on the right side of her face and then Naraku pulled away from her briefly, and that was all she needed. She brought her knee up and rammed it into his groin as hard as she could. He howled in pain and fell to the ground holding his painfully exposed member. Kagome grabbed her boots and ran back to the camp, straightening her clothes as she went.

She held her shirt closed as she entered the firelight. She saw everyone watching her, so she purposely hid her face from them. She walked over to a tree and sat down, clutching her backpack to her. She would be in South Dakota tomorrow, so all she had to do was hold out until then, she told herself. She got up and walked out of their sight and changed into a different tube top and long sleeved shirt and then she returned.

------------

Naraku stumbled into camp a short while later, limping slightly. He glared at her viciously as he walked back to the fire and sat down with the others. Kagome watched as Sesshomaru left the camp and went off into the woods to relieve himself. Miroku offered Kagome some of the cold fried chicken that they were eating. Kagome loved fried chicken, especially cold, so she gladly accepted. Kagome walked over to the campfire and grabbed some chicken and a paper plate, and as she was walking back to Miroku's bike, Naraku pinched her on the bottom. Kagome paused for a second and then walked a few more steps.

Before anyone could see it coming, Kagome slipped the knife from her boot and walked up behind Naraku. She slipped her arm around his forehead, and then using her other hand, she placed the knife precariously against his throat. Everyone else sat frozen in disbelief. Kagome leaned down and put her lips to his ear.

"If you** _ever _**touch me again," she hissed loudly in his ear, "I will gut you like a fucking pig." Then she quickly and very neatly pulled her knife just below his left eye. A stream of blood trickled forth as she walked back to Miroku's bike and sat down to eat, leaving everyone gawking in open-mouthed silence. Miroku got up walked over to her. He saw the blood on her discarded shirt.

"What happened?" Miroku asked.

Kagome didn't answer him. She only continued eating as Sesshomaru waltzed back into camp.

"Sesshomaru," Miroku said quietly as he motioned for him to come closer, "I think we have a problem.

"What's up?" Sesshomaru asked as he approached them.

"Ask her," Miroku said as he pointed to Kagome.

Sesshomaru looked down at Kagome, who continued eating as if she was ignoring them. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Kagome replied as she looked away.

Sesshomaru knelt down and put his hand under her chin. She resisted when he tried to turn her head to face him. Miroku pointed at her discarded shirt. He noticed that it had been cut open. He also noticed the blood on it. Sesshomaru applied more force and made her look at him. "Whose blood is that?"

"His," she lied, but Sesshomaru saw the tiny stain on the shirt she was wearing where she bled on it when she changed. He moved her shirt open a little bit to reveal the cut on her chest. He looked back up at her. When their eyes met, Kagome saw a gleam of pride, but it was gone in a flash and was replaced by dark, seething anger.

Sesshomaru let go of her as Miroku tried to put his arm around her, but she would have none of it. Sesshomaru walked over to where Naraku was polishing off a bottle of whiskey. Kagome watched as Sesshomaru hauled Naraku to his feet. He spun him around to face him and proceeded to plant his boot directly in Naraku's groin. As Naraku doubled over in pain, Sesshomaru kicked him in the head, sending him flying backwards. Kouga jumped up and pulled Sesshomaru off of him.

Inu walked back into camp at about the same time and asked, "What's up?"

"What's up is that this piece of shit decided to have a good time with Kagome! Only he didn't bother to ask her first!"

"Kinda looks like she didn't agree." Inu said as he looked at Naraku, "As quick as she is with that knife, you're lucky all she did was cut your face."

"I ain't afraid of her," Naraku spit. "She ain't nothing but a thieving, murdering whore!"

Sesshomaru lost control. He lunged at Naraku sending them both plunging to the ground. Sesshomaru landed on top and was seriously beating Naraku like he had never been beat. Sesshomaru punched him in the face and then grabbed his hair. Sesshomaru pounded Naraku's head against the ground repeatedly, until it was starting to bleed. By the look in his eyes, it looked as if Sesshomaru might actually beat him to death, but Inu and Kouga pulled him off.

"Naraku," Kouga stated flatly "You don't have any room to talk after what you have been acquitted for. But we can't have that kind of shit. She's under our protection. I think you need to leave before this goes any farther."

"I don't believe this shit!" Naraku said as he stood to dust himself off. "We've been together for years! And now you're turning your back on me because of what some fucking whore says. That's bullshit!" He started packing his things onto his bike. He turned to the guys and shouted, "Well then fuck you all! I don't need friends like that. You haven't even known the bitch for three days, and you're going to take her word over mine! You guys are really fucked up!" He pointed at Kagome and said, "You haven't seen the last of me, bitch! Count on it!" Then he started his bike and got on it. He threw the remains of his whiskey into the fire and as it flared up, he pulled his bike in front of Kagome. "You weren't even worth the time it took to fuck you, you filthy little whore." Kagome stood motionless as he roared onto the road and disappeared into the night.

-------------------------

After he was gone, Kagome turned to find everyone looking at her. She saw Sesshomaru coming toward her, but she was afraid to talk to him. She knew why Naraku had said what he did. She knew that no one wanted a girl who had been raped; especially by some one they knew. She refused to look Sesshomaru in the eyes because she was afraid she would see rejection. She turned her head away and walked into the darkening woods, leaving Sesshomaru standing there confused. Kagome guessed that even if she told him the truth, he wouldn't believe her.

Sesshomaru walked over to where Miroku and Kouga were standing and grabbed a beer. They both looked at him as if they were expecting him to say something. "What?" he asked as he looked at them, trying to answer the same questions for them that he was asking himself. "I like her. She's got a lot of spirit. She's strong. Most chicks would have been crying their eyes out by now, but she stands her ground every time. Hell, she's got more 'balls' than most _guys_ I know."

"Yeah, she does," Miroku said as he stirred the fire. "You better go find her before she gets lost out there. It's getting dark fast." Sesshomaru went out into the woods to search for her.

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Kagome sat on the bank of the creek and stared out into the water. '_Sesshomaru will never like me now,'_ she thought._ 'He thinks that Naraku raped me. I don't blame him. I wouldn't want someone like me either. I mean, I'm not really that pretty, and I've been nothing but trouble from the day I met him. He must think I'm horrible.'_ That was what bothered her the most. She really wanted Sesshomaru to like her. She liked him in a way that she had never liked anyone before. Every time she thought of that kiss on her shoulder and the gentle way he had taken her hand in the café that morning, it made her feel strange inside. _'But, it doesn't matter,'_ she told herself, _'because he'll never look at me the same way again.'_

Sesshomaru walked quietly until he came upon Kagome sitting in the moonlight. He walked up behind her and knelt down. "Are you ok?"

Kagome didn't reply.

"Kagome," he pleaded.

"Nothing happened, Sesshomaru," Kagome finally replied. "I'll be fine. I just want to be alone, that's all."

"I'll be back at camp," he said sadly as he gently kissed her on the back of the neck. Kagome's eyes grew wide in the darkness. She turned to face him, but he had already disappeared into the night. The tone of Sesshomaru's voice had confirmed what Kagome suspected. He didn't' believe her...

TBC...

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**Read & Review**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** All characters pertaining to the show InuYasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi. I am not making any money from this...the only thing that I am getting out of this story is the satisfaction of knowing that other people enjoy my writing. All original characters are my creation and belong to me...as does the plot and storyline.

_**Chapter 8 **_

Kagome walked back into camp and laid back down near the fire. She turned her back to everyone and waited for them to go to sleep. Again during the night, Kagome woke up to the sound of wolves. She found herself covered with a blanket from Sesshomaru's bedroll. She sat up and looked across the camp. Sesshomaru was sleeping quietly in front of his bike. The fire was just a pile of glowing embers, but the moon bathed everything in an eerie glow. A slight movement caught her eye as she was lying back down.

From just beyond Sesshomaru, several wolves appeared out of the woods. Kagome was not afraid. She was excited. She had always wanted to see one, and now there were several of them inspecting their camp. Kagome knew instinctively that she shouldn't make any sudden moves as a large silver-gray wolf made its way towards her. It cautiously circled the camp, sniffing and inspecting the people who had invaded its domain. He nosed around everyone until he reached Kagome, who sat frozen. The wolf growled lowly as he approached her. She did not move, but the growling had awakened Miroku, who was also lying motionless a few feet away, amazed that Kagome was not frightened.

The wolf and Kagome were literally nose-to-nose. The wolf was still growling. This breath was warm on Kagome's face, but she was not afraid. The wolf looked into her eyes and bared his teeth until Kagome bared her neck to him. By showing her throat, she acknowledged his dominance. The wolf stopped growling as he licked her cheek. Then he dipped his head to sniff her and pushed his nose underneath her hand. Kagome very cautiously petted him as she rubbed his back.He was a very good size, near one hundred-twenty pounds. She had no doubt that he was the alpha male of the pack. His fur was very thick, probably preparing for the coming winter. He had a light gray face with a dark silver hood that started just above his eyes and extended down onto his back. He was magnificent.

Kagome carefully took a piece of beef jerky from her pack and held it out to the wolf. He carefully inspected it before eating it. The wolf brought his face to hers and gently licked her cheek. Then he wagged his tail and disappeared into the night followed silently by the rest of the pack.

As Kagome laid back down, she heard the wolves yipping at each other. She smiled to herself, knowing in her heart that she was safe with her companions. The wolves howled in unison just as she was drifting back to sleep.

----------------------------

Sesshomaru woke Kagome just before the sun began to rise over the mountains. He had noticed that her breathing was irregular, so he shook her gently. She bolted upright and looked around franticly until she realized where she was.

"Sorry," she apologized. "I guess I was having a bad dream or something."

"It was time to get up anyway," he replied.

"Thanks," she said as she handed him his blanket. She rubbed her head and wondered if the wolves had been part of a dream. Miroku accidentally dropped his bike keys on the ground near her feet. When she knelt down to retrieve them, she found paw prints in the dirt near where she had slept. She traced them with her fingers briefly before she handed Miroku his keys. Then she took some beef jerky from her pack and left it on the ground near a set of paw prints. Then she went back to the others.

"We will be in Sturgis this morning," Miroku told her as they prepared to leave.

Kagome nodded in response. She looked over to see Sesshomaru as he emerged from the trees. He started his bike and then he looked at her. He winked at her and then smiled. Kagome smiled sadly and then looked away.

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They stopped for gas in the next town they came to. Everyone got a quick snack, and then they were on the road again. They crossed the border into South Dakota shortly thereafter. The sheer number of motorcycles that passed them amazed Kagome. She lost count after a hundred or so. But it appeared that the closer they got to Sturgis, the more they saw.

"We're almost in Sturgis," Miroku informed her.

"What's in Sturgis?" Kagome asked curiously.

"You'll see soon enough," Sesshomaru told her with a mischievous smile.

Ten minutes later, Kagome almost had heart failure when she saw what he meant. Thousands of motorcycles blanketed the streets of the town. They swarmed like ants do when their nest is disturbed. She was speechless.

--------------------------------

Once they found a place to camp, every one removed their jackets. Sesshomaru removed his dirty shirt and everyone started to unpack. Everyone, that is, except Sesshomaru. He took Kagome by the hand and walked away from the others. They stopped underneath an old pecan tree.

"I need to tell you something," he said as they came to a stop.

"Hmm?" she asked as she looked at the leaves up in the tree. "What?"

"I…" Sesshomaru faltered, not quite knowing how to say what he felt. "I wanted to know if you will hang out here for a couple of days. You are more than welcome. I…I mean we, really enjoy your company."

"No. I think I need to go on to the reservation. I feel like there is something waiting for me there. I would really like to spend a couple of more days here, but I can't"

"You know, Kagome," he said as he put his hands on either side of her as she rested her back against the tree, "a hundred years ago, you would have made a fine warrior. You are a brave woman," he said as he leaned forward and gently placed his lips against hers.

Kagome was not sure how to respond. No one had ever shown her that kind of affection before. She felt a tingling sensation spread throughout her body. Sesshomaru was surprised that she didn't pull away from him, but she seemed to want more. He felt her tremble as he pressed his lips against hers again.

"Hey Sesshomaru," Miroku called out to him. "Are you going to unpack or what?"

Sesshomaru growled and then called out to him as he looked around the tree, "I'll be there in a minute." He turned his attention back to Kagome, who was staring at his bared chest. Sesshomaru closed his eyes and drew her into his arms. She relaxed against his warm chest and let him embraced her, surprised by the fact that she enjoyed it. What surprised her more...was that she was disappointed when he pulled away.

"Come on," he said as he took her hand and led her back to the others. Kagome noticed that he looked slightly disappointed as well.

'_Could it be,'_ she thought to herself, _'that we are falling in love?'_ Strangely the idea saddened her, though she was not certain why. She followed him back over to MIROKU and the others.

"Hey guys," he said to the others, "I am going to take Kagome over to the reservation. I told her that I would, so I'll be back in a few days.I've got some business to take care of, so you guys stay and party for me."

"Look," Kagome interrupted as she turned to Sesshomaru "I can get there from here. I appreciate the offer and thanks for getting me this far, but I don't want to be anymore trouble." She turned and started walking away, knowing that the real reason she was leaving, was that she was afraid – afraid that her heart would be lost forever if she didn't.

"No," Sesshomaru said frantically as he grabbed her hand. "I insist. Please. Let me take you."

Kagome turned to face him.

"It would be my pleasure," he said smiling as Kagome blushed. "Anyway, I have business in Winner. I have to cross the reservation to get there. Ok?"

"Ok," she agreed as she set her backpack on the fender of Sesshomaru's Harley. She turned to Miroku. "Thank you for letting me ride with you."

"Anytime babe," Miroku told her as Sesshomaru started his bike.

"We have a long way to go," Sesshomaru said as they made their way through town. "Let's get something to eat before we hit the road."

"Ok. But I'll pay. I've already caused enough trouble," she replied.

_TBC..._

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**Read & Review...pretty please...it will pay off eventually...I PROMISE.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** All characters pertaining to the show InuYasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi. I am not making any money from this...the only thing that I am getting out of this story is the satisfaction of knowing that other people enjoy my writing. All original characters are my creation and belong to me...as does the plot and storyline.

_**Chapter 9**_

Sesshomaru and Kagome went into a restaurant and found a seat near the back of the room. They ordered something to eat and then waited. Kagome looked down and fidgeted with her hair, trying to avoid making eye contact with Sesshomaru.

"Was it your mother or father that gave you your green eyes?" Sesshomaru asked, trying to make conversation.

"My father," she answered flatly, staring at a game of pool going on at a nearby table. "My mother was half Japanese/ half Lakota. My father left her when he found out that she was pregnant. My mother was a drunk. She never really cared too much about anyone except herself. She was never at home. Grandpa said that she used to leave by myself a lot. He took a care of me a lot."

"I guess he did a good job.You turned out fine. He sounds like a good man."

"Yeah, he is.He teaches at the grade school in Cameron. He has been there since I was five. He came and got me from Rosebud, when I was eight, after my mother died. He took me back to Arizona to live with him on the Navaho reservation where he teaches. I spent the last ten years there, but I never fit in. I was teased a lot because I'm only part Indian. I cursed my mother for that for a long time, but I can't change who I am inside, so why worry about it."

"I like who you are inside."

"What about you?" she countered, trying to avoid his last remark. "What about your heritage? I can tell you have mixed blood too. You haven't even told me your last name or even what tribe your from."

"Yeah. I guess you're right. My grandmother was from somewhere in Northern Japan. My grandfather was Cheyenne. So my motheris half just like yours. Myis was full Cheyenne. They were just two reckless teenagers who fell in love and got married."

"At least your parents were married," Kagome said sourly. "I don't even know my father's name."

"Well, whatever it was, I'm sure it was not as colorful as Gray-Eagle."

"What about your last name?"

"Parker. I go by Parker most of the time to avoid hassles, but my full name is Sesshomaru Taisho Parker. I was named after my great grandfather Stephen Parker. My motheris a proud woman. Sheis proud of her heritage. Like you, sheis the best of both worlds."

That was where the conversation ended. The waitress brought their food. They ate in silence, a very strained silence. Kagome avoided making eye contact with Sesshomaru as much as possible. Finally, Sesshomaru got up to go check on his bike outside. Kagome sat in silence and waited for him to return.

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Sesshomaru had been outside for a good ten minutes when and overweight, greasy looking, pig-of-a-biker walked over and sat down in Sesshomaru's seat.

"Hey baby," he drawled "what's yer name?"

"None of your business," she replied coldly.

"Ooh, you've got spunk. I hope you're like that in the sack."

"Well don't think too hard about it 'cause it ain't likeyou'll find out in this lifetime," she retorted icily.

The biker reached across the table and grabbed her by the arm. He pointed to an even bigger guy standing near the back door. "I bet him that I cold get you in the sack, and I don't intend to lose. I **always** get what I want. Besides it ain't like yer gonna get any help around here." Kagome looked around and to her dismay, found that most of the people were clearing the room and the few that remained were men, cheering him on. "Now, if you don't put up too much of a fight, I'll go easy on you."

"Let me go," she protested as she kicked him in the knee. The others laughed as he dragged her by her hair towards the restrooms. Somehow she knew that if she lost, the rest of them were lining up fuck her too. She flashed back to what had happened to Sango. There had only been three with Sango. She looked around and counted at least eight men standing near the restroom to watch the show. She began to go numb inside with the realization.

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Out front, Sesshomaru was repacking his bike so that Kagome would have a place to sit. Suddenly people started pouring out of the restaurant. "Who do you think's gonna win?" Sesshomaru heard someone say. "Well he _is _pretty big," one girl said, "but I'll lay odds that she'll get him with that knife she's got tucked in her boot. I don't think he saw that." "No way. Buster _always _gets his way." "Yeah well, we'll see." Sesshomaru went back inside just as the last of them were leaving.

Buster was holding Kagome by the hair. Sesshomaru surveyed the situation. Buster was a behemoth, and if they were going to fight, he might break Sesshomaru in half. Sesshomaru watched as Kagome fought him with all her might, but it was a losing battle. She didn't stand a chance against him. Sesshomaru watched as Buster pulled Kagome's hair and pulled her closer. He licked his lips as he prepared to kiss her. Sesshomaru watched as Kagome pulled the knife from her boot and flipped it in her hand. Sesshomaru realized that if he didn't help her right then, she would kill him, just like she had done to that Navajo man in Colorado. Buster pressed his lips to hers. Kagome's eyes watered as she brought the knife closer to the man's belly.

"**She is _mine_**" Sesshomaru growled as he lunged across several tables at Buster. Buster threw Kagome to the floor as Sesshomaru bowled him over. Kagome scrambled to get out of the way as a rowdy fight ensued. Sesshomaru was hell bent on beating the shit out of Buster. Kagome had never seen anyone so mad in her entire life.

---------------------------------

The police showed up abruptly and put an end to the fighting. Both Sesshomaru and Buster went to jail. The cops were very rude to both of them and very mean. They threw Sesshomaru against the side of the car, hard. But Sesshomaru held his head up and would not give them the satisfaction of putting up a struggle. He went along peacefully, which is more than can be said for Buster. It took four officers to get him in the squad car.

Kagome knew what she had to do. She ran back inside and grabbed his jacket. She paid the bill and gave the owner some money for the damages. Then she ran back to camp to get Kouga and Miroku, who were sitting around talking to some other people. Kagome ran into camp out of breath and explained what had happened.

Miroku went to get Sesshomaru's bike while Kagome explained everything to Kouga. Kagome was extremely upset that Sesshomaru was in jail because of her. Miroku and Kouga went with her to the city jail. Knowing that she was wanted in Arizona, she could not go in, so she had them find out about the charges and the fine. Well, to make a long story short, the judge was a friend of Buster's, so he took his own sweet time, the rest of the day, to decide on a fine and when he did, it was way more than they expected. It was more than all the guys had – put together. Kagome took a thousand dollars from her backpack and handed it to Kouga to pay the fine.

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Kagome decided that it would be best for everyone, including Sesshomaru, if she were to leave while he was still in jail. Trouble seemed to be attracted to her like bears to honey. She didn't want to cause trouble for anyone, least of all Sesshomaru. He had been so nice to her from the very beginning. That's why it hurt her so badly to know that he was sitting in jail because of her. She found the highway and headed south into the darkness. Tears stung her eyes as she walked into the cool night wind, leaving her heart behind.

_TBC..._

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**Read & Review...I promise some LEMONY goodness to appear soon, if you do.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** All characters pertaining to the show InuYasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi. I am not making any money from this...the only thing that I am getting out of this story is the satisfaction of knowing that other people enjoy my writing. All original characters are my creation and belong to me...as does the plot and storyline.

**_Chapter 10_**

It was late afternoon on Saturday August 5th when they finally released Sesshomaru from jail. Sesshomaru walked outside and stretched precariously.

"How are ya, bro?" Inu asked as Sesshomaru walked out front door of the police station.

"Fine, I guess," he replied as he looked around, noticing Kagome's absence. "Thanks for getting me out. I never thought I could get into so much trouble over a _girl_. Hey, anyway, how did you guys manage to come up with that kind of money?"

Everyone kind of looked away, not wanting to answer the question.

"What?" Sesshomaru asked cautiously.

"We didn't." Miroku informed him. Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow. "Kagome did."

Sesshomaru looked around again to see if he could spot her, but when couldn't, he looked at Miroku. "Where is she?"

"She left last night." Miroku said as the truth registered in Sesshomaru's eyes. Miroku handed Sesshomaru a note, hastily written on a scrap of paper. "She asked me to give this to you."

_Sesshomaru,_

_I have decided that will be better for both of us if I leave now. I feel really bad that you had to go to jail because of me. Why didn't you just let me kill him? He deserved it, and at least then he would have never been able to do that to anyone else. But what's done is done, and I'm sorry for ever dragging you into my problems. I know that I have been a huge inconvenience to you, and for that I am truly sorry._

_Thank you for being so nice to me. No one has ever treated me that way before…like I mattered. I am truly grateful for that. I didn't mean for things to turn out this way. It just happened; and I'm sorry. I will make it to Rosebud on my own. It was nice meeting you, Sesshomaru; and thank you…for everything._

_Kagome Gray-Eagle_

"Well shit!" Sesshomaru cursed as he kicked the ground. "I've got to find her. When did she leave?"

"Around eleven last night. At the rate she was walking when she left, she should be about twenty miles out of town, unless she caught a ride with someone else between here and there." Miroku pulled Sesshomaru to the side and looked him in the eyes. "Sesshomaru, you really like her, don't you? I've never seen you so wound up over a chick before."

"Yeah, I do," he said as he ran his hand through his hair, brushing it from his face. "She's worth all the trouble in the world."

"Maybe you need to tell **her** that. And Sesshomaru," Miroku added as Sesshomaru got on his bike and kicked it to life.

"Yeah?"

"She was crying when she left."

"Thanks," Sesshomaru said as he took off on his bike. He roared down the street and headed for the highway. Then he headed south – toward the Black Hills, toward Rosebud, toward Kagome, and his heart.

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Miroku had been right. Sesshomaru found her walking along the roadside about eighteen miles out of town. Sesshomaru had been lucky that she had not caught a ride with anyone. He slowed down and pulled up along side her. Kagome resolved herself to keep moving, so she refused to even look at him. She knew that if she stopped, she would go back with him and her heart would be his; and while that is exactly what she wanted – she knew that it was not possible. So, she kept her eyes on the road in front of her and walked on.

"You want a ride?" he asked.

"Not this time, Sesshomaru," she replied as she walked steadily onward.

"Please hear me out. I need to say something."

"**I**need to keep walking. I have a long way to go."

"So stop walking and get on."

"No, Sesshomaru. I'm not going to cause you anymore trouble."

"You aren't causing me any trouble."

"**Liar!**" she yelled as she finally stopped walking. "That's bullshit!" She started walking again. "I saw the way you looked at me when they put you in that police car. I saw regret in your eyes. So don't sit there and lie to me!"

"God damn it you're _stubborn_!"

"So what?"

"Kagome, shut up!" he commanded as he stopped his bike. "The _only_ thing that I regret is that I didn't do this sooner." He grabbed Kagome around the waist and pulled her into his lap. He pressed his lips to hers quickly, before she had a chance to protest. Then he gassed the bike and they roared down the highway.

The scenery seemed to blur as they roared down the interstate. They turned off the highway onto the main street of a small town and headed southwest. After they left town, they headed into the Black Hills National Forest. Kagome wasn't really concerned about where they were going. She relaxed against him and looked at the sky as they made their way deeper into the hills. The sky was a colorful tapestry filled with rich blues and purples as well as brilliant reds and oranges. Sesshomaru turned off the paved road and headed up a dirt trail.

-----------------------

When they finally came to a stop, Kagome was in awe of the vast beauty that spread out at her feet. Sesshomaru let go of her as she pulled away from him. She got off the bike and walked to the edge of the bluff where they were parked and gazed at the endless beauty that surrounded them. Below her was a beautiful lake, which reflected the silver crescent of the waning moon and the millions of twinkling stars that were beginning to peek out of the coming darkness.

"It's beautiful isn't it?' Sesshomaru asked as he walked up beside her.

"Yeah, it is."

"I come up here sometimes when I need to get away from everything. Not very many people know about this place. Sesshomaru turned her around and placed his lips against hers tenderly. She didn't pull away, but moved closer. Sesshomaru looked into her eyes and saw the confusion that consumed her, so he let go of her and moved away, leaving Kagome even more confused than before.

Kagome walked over to the edge of the bluff and sat down, dangling her feet over the edge while Sesshomaru got a campfire going. She began to think about all that had happened since she and Sango left the reservation in April. She sighed as a heron flew past and descended to the lake below. Sesshomaru walked over and sat down beside her. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"I'm just thinking about how I've let everyone down, including myself. I let my grandfather down when I ran from the reservation. Sango cried out to me for help when she was being raped, and I could do nothing. I'm so confused." She stood and turned away. "What's' **_wrong_** with me? I think I actually enjoyed killing that asshole. I'm trying so hard to be strong, but I feel like I'm going insane."

"You haven't let anyone down. You've only done what you had to do, what anyone with any guts would have done in your situation. I'm proud of you. I hope you never change. I like you just the way you are. You don't give up. You know, the first time I saw you; I admired how you put those girls in their place and didn't take any shit from them. Your eyes were so bright and full of fire. Then when our eyes met, I found something inside me that hadn't been there before. I saw it when I looked in your eyes; I found what was missing in my life. Nothing has been the same since.Kagome, I would do anything for you, just to have you by my side. I know you feel it too. Why won't you let it show?" Sesshomaru hesitated as he noticed Kagome beginning to move away from him. She was fighting the tears that were building in her eyes. He stood and pulled Kagome to him, wrapping his arm around her as she rested her head on his shoulder. They stood there quietly for a while, Sesshomaru's arm laced around her shoulder.

Sesshomaru stepped behind Kagome and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her to his chest. Kagome relaxed and rested her head against his chest. He kissed the top of her head. "Kagome, I don't want you to think it's your fault that I went to jail. I chose to jump in. I couldn't let you kill him. If you had, the judge in Sturgis would have crucified you. He would have made you out to be a cold-blooded killer, and since you're already a suspect in Arizona, you would have been found guilty. They would have sent you to prison for the rest of your life. And I can't let that happen, even if it means letting you go. You are worth all the trouble in the world to me. You mean more to me than anyone I've ever known. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

She didn't reply.

_TBC..._

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**Read, Rate, & Review...**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: **All characters pertaining to the show InuYasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi. I am not making any money from this...the only thing that I am getting out of this story is the satisfaction of knowing that other people enjoy my writing. All original characters are my creation and belong to me...as does the plot and storyline.

**A/N: This chapter contains a LEMON. As it is only a LEMON, I will not mark it further.**

_**Chapter 11**_

"When I said that you were mine, Kagome, I meant it," he paused as she turned to face him, "with every drop of blood in my body."

Kagome lifted her face to search his eyes for the truth. Sesshomaru dropped his lips to meet hers in a kiss that was slightly more that innocent. He was surprised that she didn't pull away from him but instead, she kissed him back. He teasingly bit her lower lip, urging her to let him explore her mouth with more passionate kisses. She was a little hesitant, but she complied. As his hands roamed up her back, she shivered involuntarily. Her breath caught in her throat as he caressed her breast through the fabric of her shirt.

Kagome pulled away from him. She turned away and looked out into the darkness while she caught her breath. She was afraid.

"Kagome," he whispered huskily as he pressed his lips to the back of her neck. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back to him. She leaned back against him and bared her neck to his kisses. He showered gentle kisses upon her neck and the hollow of her throat. He kissed behind her ear, causing her to shiver. Kagome closed her eyes and brought one of her hands up behind her to caress Sesshomaru's hair as she moaned quietly. Sesshomaru slowly unbuttoned her shirt, leaving it open to reveal her flat stomach. She quivered and tensed as he slipped his hand down the front of her pants and brought it to rest on her abdomen. He sensed that she was scared, so he turned her around to face him. He took her fingers and helped her to remove his own shirt.

Sesshomaru took his hands and cradled her face. He kissed her again, tenderly, waiting for a response. Kagome kissed him back as they reclined on the soft grass. He took her hand and placed it over his heart. "Not everyone wants to hurt you, Kagome," he whispered. "There i _are_people you can trust. You can trust_me_." After feeling the beat of his heart and the warmth of his skin, she began to relax against him.

Sesshomaru moved her shirt open to reveal her firm breasts. He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. Then he kissed her nose. He pressed his cheek against hers as he nibbled on her ear, causing her breath to catch in her throat. Sesshomaru smiled at her mischievously and then kissed her lips again briefly before moving on to her throat. He tickled her throat with his husky kisses. She felt his warm breath as he trailed his kisses down her neck and onto her chest. Her nipples were hard from the cool night air. Sesshomaru took one of them into his mouth and kissed on it tentatively. Kagome gasped as sensuous new feeling began to course through her body. She put her arms around Sesshomaru, forcing him to move closer. She could feel the hard length of him trapped beneath his jeans as it rested against her thigh, so she instinctively unbuttoned his jeans. He took her other breast into his mouth and sucked on it gently until she thought she could take no more.

"Do you want me to stop?" he asked her as he kissed her lips again.

"No," she replied softly as he kissed behind her ear.

Sesshomaru began to kiss a trail across her stomach, circling his tongue teasingly around her bellybutton. He carefully unbuttoned her jeans and pulled them open to reveal her belly. He kissed her on her belly as he tugged at her pants until they slid off easily. Kagome gasped with pleasure as he kissed the wiry hair at the juncture of her thighs, slipping his tongue between her folds to caress the pearl hidden there. Kagome was taken by surprise by the delicious reaction that it caused.

Sesshomaru removed his pants as he moved back up. Their lips met in a tender kiss that quickly became heated and passionate. Kagome began to explore his body with her hands as he explored her mouth with his own. Kagome slid her fingers across his chest and down his shoulders, causing him to shiver. Then she trailed her curious fingers down to the center of his desire. Sesshomaru let out a tortured groan as her hand brushed against it. Kagome took it into her hand and caressed the hard, smooth length of him.

Sesshomaru pulled her closer to him and kissed her swollen lips. She parted them to Sesshomaru's probing tongue. She twined her tongue with his and was rewarded with a delicious moan. He trailed his fingers along the length of her body, tickling and teasing her as he explored her beautiful mouth with his kisses. Sesshomaru slipped his hand between her thighs and massaged her with the palm of his hand until her juices began to come forth and she whimpered softly with pleasure.

Sesshomaru moved himself between her legs as he rolled on top of her. He gently kissed her as she pulled his face down to her. He kissed her harshly, with passion, as he thrust himself into her yielding body, not realizing until it was too late what he had just done. Kagome cried out as he thrust himself into her. Sesshomaru bit his lip and looked at her, fearing he had hurt her. But what he saw was a blend of pleasure and pain. He gently kissed the tears from her luminous green eyes as he allowed her body time to adjust.

"Are you ok?" he asked softly. "I'm sorry. I didn't know," he apologized. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

"It's alright, Sesshomaru," she replied, shaken. "Just so many feelings."

"Relax," he instructed as he showered gentle kisses upon her throat. "The pain goes away fast." He felt her trembling beneath him.

"Mmm..." was the only response he received as she relaxed. He began to slowly move inside her, causing her to gasp from a heady mix of feelings. Kagome moaned with pleasure, forgetting all about the initial pain. She found that she wanted as much of his length as she could take. Of course, Sesshomaru gave her what she desired quite willingly. He wrapped her legs around him and rolled over so that she was on top.

"Aaah," she cried out as her body adjusted to the entire length of him. He sat up and pulled her to him, again taking one of her nipples into his mouth and sucking on it gently as he thrust up into her. Kagome threw her head back and cried out as she urgently clung to him. Sesshomaru slowed himself a little, wanting to give her as much pleasure as he could.

Sesshomaru looked at her as they moved together. He had never seen anything more beautiful than she was at that moment. Her eyes were wild with emotions as he moved inside her. The firelight and the moon reflected on the fine sheen of perspiration that beaded on her skin.

Kagome began to feel emotions that she never even dreamed were possible. Tears built in her eyes as her body tensed and Sesshomaru began to thrust harder. She looked into his eyes desperately and cried out as her body began to convulse around him. He cried out as they found release together.

----------------------

They laid there together for a while, their bodies satiated. They both knew that this would be their only night together. Both of them had things to think about. Sesshomaru had to think of a way to convince her to stay with him; or if he couldn't, he would have to find a way to live without her. Kagome was trying to sort through the confusion that had been created within her. She wanted to stay with Sesshomaru, and she knew that if she left, there would be an empty place in her heart. But, if she decided to stay, Sesshomaru would eventually have to return to Arizona where she was wanted for a murder that she did not commit and would soon be wanted for one that she had. If she was with him when he returned to Arizona, there would be hell to pay, for both of them. No, she decided, it would be best for both of them if she stayed at the reservation. Kagome drifted off to sleep, naked in Sesshomaru's arms.

"What have I done?" he asked himself as he looked at her lying peacefully in his arms. For the first time in his life, Sesshomaru regretted doing something. "I didn't believe her when she told me the truth about Naraku, and now I have taken something that can never be replaced. God," he said as he shook his head, "I hope she doesn't regret this in the morning."

Sesshomaru got up to retrieve a blanket from his bike. It was a bit chilly. As he covered Kagome, he paused to look upon her. She looked so beautiful and innocent lying there in the moonlight. Her dark hair seemed to glow as it reflected the firelight. "She is so different from any other girl I've ever known," he thought as he lay back down with her. He rested her head in the crook of his arm. "She is so beautiful and completely natural. She is strong and at the same time, she's sensitive. Maybe that's the reason I want her to trust me. That might be what makes her so special to me. Maybe that's why I need her so badly. And maybe, that is the reason…" he thought as he drifted off to sleep, "that I love her." He draped his arm protectively over her.

Sesshomaru woke Kagome in the early hours of the morning. When he woke and saw hundreds of falling stars streaking across the sky, he knew she should see it. He gently woke Kagome, who was sleeping silently at his side. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. Kagome was utterly speechless at what she saw. Her eyes seemed to light up and she smiled as she watched the stars shoot across the cobalt sky.

Sesshomaru smiled and leaned over to kiss her. He kissed her behind her ear and then on the nape of her neck. Kagome kissed him on his throat and his neck as he breathed warmly against her cheek. Kagome ran her fingers down his back as she embraced him. He tickled her breasts with his tongue while she ran her fingers through his hair, pulling him closer to her. He lavished kisses upon her breasts making her moan softly. She arched her chest toward him. He slipped his hand down between her thighs, rubbing her pubic mound with his palm. Kagome moaned as he rubbed her clitoris with his fingers. She reclined back onto the grass pulling Sesshomaru down to her. She kissed him passionately as his lips met hers. Sesshomaru rolled over to cover her body with his. She eagerly opened up to him, like a flower to the morning sun. Sesshomaru entered her carefully, knowing that she was probably a little sore from her first time. She thrust her hips up to meet him, but he was careful not to go too fast. She wrapped her arms around his chest and held him to her as he thrust into her body.

Kagome moaned softly as he reached down and grabbed her buttocks and squeezed them, lifting her up to give him more access. Then he rolled her over so that she was sitting astride him again. He thrust gently up into her as she leaned over to kiss him. Her hair cascaded down around her face like a curtain of darkness, surrounding them in its softness. Sesshomaru caressed her breasts as she rocked her hips back and forth. Sesshomaru held himself in check until he felt her body begin to tense. Then he rolled her back over and looked at her face. She closed her eyes and parted her lips, whimpering softly, begging for him to kiss them. Sesshomaru cradled her face with his hands, twining his fingers in her hair and kissing her passionately. Kagome did the same as he thrust savagely into her eager body. Tears filled her eyes as they found release together once more.

Exhausted, Kagome relaxed in Sesshomaru's arms and closed her eyes, sighing softly. Sesshomaru pulled the blanket back over them and lay down beside her. He had never felt more alive in his life...nothing in his life had ever felt so right; and as he lay there watching the morning sun lighten the sky, he knew with more certainty than he had ever felt, that his life would never be the same – with or without her.

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When Kagome woke shortly after dawn, Sesshomaru was nowhere to be found. She sat up and looked around finding her discarded clothes lying folded neatly at her feet. The fire was cold and the bike was packed, except for the blanket that was covering her. Kagome moved to pick up her clothes, but noticed the soreness between her thighs. She gingerly stood and began to get dressed. She looked out across the lake as she stretched in the morning sun, unaware that Sesshomaru was standing behind her, watching her every move.She bent over to pull on her jeans and Sesshomaru's breath caught in his throat as the morning sun silhouetted her body. She rifled through her backpack to find a clean shirt, still unaware that Sesshomaru was watching her. She finally found the top she was looking for and stood to put it on. As she raised her arms to slip on the shirt, she let the soft cloth of it caress her breasts, covering them ever so slowly. Sesshomaru bit his lip and turned away, knowing that he should never have touched her, but even as he walked away, the thought of her innocent kisses aroused him.

He walked back into camp after Kagome was finished dressing. She sat alone on the edge of the bluff overlooking the lake below. Sesshomaru sat down beside her. She didn't look at him. She said nothing. She just looked out across the lake, watching the waves lap against the shore with a steady and hypnotic rhythm. Sesshomaru took her hand and gently squeezed it, causing her to bite her lip.

"Kagome…" he started.

"No," she cut him off, still refusing to look him in the eyes. Sesshomaru leaned over a little, trying to look her in the eyes, to find the truth. But as she turned her face away from him, he could see the tears she was fighting to control. She was going to stay at the reservation. He started to protest, but she silenced him with a gentle finger upon his lips.

Sesshomaru wrapped her in the safety of his arms. He placed his lips over hers in a kiss that was not passionate, but filled with profound sadness. They sat there and looked out across the land as the morning sun blanketed it in golden light.

As they prepared to leave, sometime later, neither of them said a word, both fearing what might be said. Something special had happened to them, and neither of them was sure that they understood it. Sesshomaru was certain that he did not want to spend his life without her, but it didn't look as if she was going to give him a choice. Kagome only knew that there was something in her heart that she didn't understand, something that hadn't been there a week and a half earlier.

Sesshomaru started his bike and cleared his throat. He extended his hand to her as she turned to face him. She wouldn't look him in the eyes as she took his hand and climbed onto the bike behind him. Kagome wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her cheek against his back as they descended from their mountain top paradise to once again plunge into the harsh reality of the real world.

They rolled back out onto the highway and headed for the interstate. Once they reached the interstate, they turned toward Rapid City, where they stopped for gas. Still neither of them spoke. Kagome still avoided making eye contact as well. Sesshomaru tried to embrace her, but she pulled away, leaving Sesshomaru feeling horrible. He guessed that she was probably regretting what had happened between them. He began to feel guilty, feeling like he had taken advantage of her. Kagome was fighting her own demons, wrestling with the decision she had made. She kept telling herself that it was best for both of them if she went her own way...but her heart was breaking for her choice.

They got back on the bike and continued east on the interstate. They turned south when they reached Highway 63, about an hour or so later. It was a long and desolate highway with not too much to look at. Sesshomaru tried to think of a way to convince her not to leave him, but in the end, he couldn't. Kagome tried not to think about anything, but in the end, all she could think about was how right she had felt in Sesshomaru's arms. As they crossed the border onto the Rosebud Indian Reservation, Kagome cried silent tears. Sesshomaru could feel them as they soaked into his t-shirt, and they made him feel even worse.

Sesshomaru stopped at a deserted gas station in Rosebud to let her get off. He climbed off his bike and turned to face her. Kagome tried to walk away, but Sesshomaru grabbed her hand. Sesshomaru noticed several people watching them from the 7-11 across the road, but he didn't care. He pulled her to him, but she looked away. He tilted her chin up to see the overwhelming sadness in her eyes. He could see that it went straight to her heart.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" he asked, hoping she would change her mind.

"Things will only get worse if I hang around," she replied.

"You're worth it," he said as Kagome tried to pull away from him. "Ok. Here," he said as he took out his wallet. "Here is half of what you paid for my fine. I'll send the rest to your grandfather when I get back to Arizona. Don't argue with me. Just take it. It should be enough to get by on. And here is my address and phone number where I can be reached if you **ever** change your mind. If I ain't there, leave a message." He got back on his bike. "Kagome, please come…"

'Sesshomaru, don't." She cut him off. "Please don't make this any harder than it has to be."

He pulled her to him one more time as he took off his necklace. It was a choker made from bone with an oval of shell with silver and red turquoise beads dangling from the center. It was beautiful and obviously very old. Sesshomaru placed it around her neck and tied it. "Wear it in good health, Kagome." He leaned forward and gently kissed her lips. "I love you, Kagome," he whispered as their lips met.

"I love you too," she whispered back. At that moment, she could have sworn that she saw tears roll down his cheeks.

"I'll come back for you, Kagome...We'll be together again someday," he told her as he pulled back out onto the highway. He left Kagome standing alone at that deserted gas station – and it was one of the hardest things he had ever done.

TBC...

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**Read & Review...**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer:** All characters pertaining to the show InuYasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi. I am not making any money from this...the only thing that I am getting out of this story is the satisfaction of knowing that other people enjoy my writing. All original characters are my creation and belong to me...as does the plot and storyline.

_**Chapter 12**_

Kagome watched him disappear into the distance. She had a serious lump in her throat and a knot in her stomach. If he had turned around and come back for her, she would have gone with him, without hesitation. She would give anything to feel the same love she had felt the night before. But he didn't turn around. He disappeared over the horizon without looking back. Kagome looked around and spotted a small convenience store across the street, so she headed there to get a drink. Several young men were sitting on a beat up car drinking beer. One of them offered her a beer as she came out of the store. She casually turned it down and walked away.

"You're new around here?" one of them asked.

"Yeah. It's been about ten years since I was here last."

"Why don't you sit down and have a drink with us?"

"No thanks. I don't drink."

"You know, you must be one hell of a screw for that biker to give you that kind of money," one of them said as he walked toward her.

Kagome was not in the mood to deal with bullshit at the moment. "If you even i _touch_ /i me," she said as he approached her. "I'll break your leg." She wasn't rude. She wasn't angry. She was totally calm and completely serious. So when he put his arm around her waist, Kagome took a step back and kicked his kneecap with her boot heel – so hard that it went the other way. He fell to the ground writhing in agony. Kagome stepped over him as she continued walking. "I warned you, you dumb, fuck," she said as she walked away.

Kagome walked up the street to where the Agency should have been, but the building had been abandoned, apparently for quite a while. The windows were broken and the door had been busted in. It looked like it had been empty for years. Kagome sat down on the steps to contemplate her next move.

"Are you Kagome Gray-Eagle?" asked and aging Lakota man as he put his hand on her shoulder.

"Who wants to know?" she asked carefully as she raised her head to look at him.

"I am Wesley TwoWolves. I am friend to your grandfather."

"How do I know you aren't lying?"

"You are wise not to trust easily. There are many here who believe everything they are told – be it the truth or a lie. But I speak the truth. He gave me this to give to you." The old man reached into his shirt pocket to retrieve a small beaded key ring. It was a circle of sky blue beads with gray beads shaped into a feather. It was the same one she had made for her grandfather on father's day when she was eleven. Her grandfather carried it with him everywhere. So when the old man pulled it from his pocket, she knew he was telling the truth. "He is waiting for you at the library." He handed her the key ring and pointed her in the right direction.

"Thank you," she said as she headed for the library.

"You are welcome, my friend."

---------------------

As Kagome proceeded toward the library, she observed that the town was pretty small – smaller than Cameron. There also, as she had noted at the convenience store, was not much promise of finding work. She would find a way to survive, though. Kagome noticed that other than the size of the town, it looked pretty much the same as Cameron. "One reservation looks pretty much like them all, I guess," she told herself.

Kagome approached the library and noted the poor condition of the building. Parts of the brick walls were beginning to crumble away. There were no windows at all, just four decaying walls.

Kagome opened the large wooden doors only to cringe as the rusty hinges squealed beneath the weight of the wood. She stepped inside to find a group of children reading aloud to each other at a table to her right. She spotted her grandfather sitting at a table reading a book in the back corner of the room. She walked softly, being careful not to make a sound as she sat down in the chair across form him.He was a little surprised when he set the book down and found Kagome waiting patiently.

"I see that you paid attention to something I taught you after all," he complimented her. "I thought you did not."

"Hai," she grinned sheepishly, "I paid attention, although I must admit that I used think your teachings were useless."

"And now?"

"Now, I see that I was wrong."

"You have changed, Kagome. You are not the impetuous young girl that I remember."

"No, I'm not. A lot has changed since I left."

"Kagome, are the things they say in Arizona true? Did you kill the old woman and steal her money?"

"Iie, Jiichan. She gave us a bag of money from the safe and told us to leave. She never opened the register."

"And also, where is Sango? You know her mother was killed in a fire last week?"

"It served her mother right. She should not have been so terrible to Sango. Sango never did anything to deserve her mother's hatred."

"What happened to Sango?"

Kagome looked blankly at the floor, not wanting to explain what had transpired in Colorado.

"What happened?"

"Three Navaho men from Cameron picked us up in Colorado. They were carrying drugs. Grandpa...they…. raped…her" Kagome faltered, "then…they…killed her. They tried to do the same to me, but I got loose."

"What else happened?"

"Jiichan…I …killed one of them. There was so much blood."

"Don't despair. You only did what you had to do. But there is something else bothering you. Give me your hand."

Kagome did as she was told.

"You're in love, aren't you?"

"Yes," she said sadly.

"Well tell me about him," he smiled.

"His name is Sesshomaru Taisho Parker. He is a part Japanese/ part Cheyenne. He has the most beautiful eyes. They are the color of an eagle's feather when it is touched by the morning sun. He is very handsome. He is a good man. He risked himself to save me from harm several times. He even went to jail in Sturgis fighting to protect me."

"Where is he now?"

"On his way to Winner. Then, I suppose that he will return to Arizona. I chose to stay here. It will be better for both of us. I don't want to cause him anymore trouble, and I can't go back to Arizona with him. You know as well as I do that in the eyes of the law, I am guilty, because I am Indian."

"Kagome, there is someone I would like you to meet. This is your brother, Souta RedWolf."

She looked up to see the young man, who had appeared out of nowhere. He stood about 6'3" tall and weighed in at around 215 pounds of muscle. He looked a lot like her grandfather, except that he too had the green eyes of their shared father.

"Your mother," her grandfather explained, "had a baby boy, Souta, about two years before you were born. Just like he did when she was carrying you, your father left your mother when he found out that she was pregnant. I took Souta from her when he was born and gave him to Wesley TwoWolves to raise with his children as one of his own. Then your father started hanging around again and I knew it was only a matter of time before your mother was pregnant again. But when you were born, your mother would not let me take you from her. I loved your mother dearly, but she was a very stubborn woman. I guess that trait runs in the family." He paused to shake his head, sadly. "Kagome, even though you do not know Souta yet, I ask you to go with him and to trust in him."

"Grandpa," she replied, "If you trust him, then I will do no less. Once I thought of you as a senile old man who clung to the old ways like a helpless child; but now that I have been on my own, I see that your years have brought you much wisdom."

"Thank you. It makes my heart glad to hear those words from you. Now, you must go with Souta. I t is not safe for you here. The police are looking for you and I fear that it will not be long before they come here. If they do, there are some here who would turn you in. You must leave now. No one other than his father and myself will know where you are."

"Thank you for everything," she said as she followed Souta out of the library. Her grandfather waved goodbye and returned to reading his book.

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Souta RedWolf led Kagome to an old beat up Chevelle. The car looked like all that held it together was the thick layer of mud and dirt that covered its rusty body. Kagome got in the passenger's seat as Souta climbed behind the steering wheel. The car, as if proving right the old saying that 'looks can be deceiving' roared to life the instant he turned the key. They rolled onto the highway and headed north.

TBC...

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	13. Chapter 13

**A/N:** Sorry about the delay in posting new chapters, but the phone company cut a line Friday morning, and still has not fixed it. I managed to sneak onto a library coputer to post this.

**Disclaimer:** All characters pertaining to the show InuYasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi. I am not making any money from this...the only thing that I am getting out of this story is the satisfaction of knowing that other people enjoy my writing. All original characters are my creation and belong to me...as does the plot and storyline.

_**Chapter 13**_

"Where are we going?" she asked curiously.

"Montana," he replied cheerfully. "Hope you don't mind living in the mountains."

"Never tried it, but I'm sure I'll be fine."

"Well, at least you've got some guts. That's more than I expected. I had you pegged for some kind of sissy girl. But, I suppose that I was wrong."

"More than you know."

"Look, I know that we're pretty much strangers, but we **are** brother and sister, so we're just going to have to trust each other. I live pretty much alone. The nearest town is Heart Butte. The nearest city is Browning, and that's pretty far. I have a ranch that borders the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. I live by myself. Some of the guys from the res. work for me, but they live on the reservation. I would really enjoy the company."

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Down the road in the other direction, Sesshomaru rumbled into Winner, South Dakota. His brother, Kossori, lived there with his wife, and Kossori owed Sesshomaru nearly two thousand dollars. Sesshomaru found his brother's house with relative ease, but getting to the front door was a different story altogether. There was a large, brindle colored pit bull terrier sitting on the other side of the six-foot chain link fence that was just daring Sesshomaru to open the gate. Sesshomaru also noticed another one sitting in the shade on the front porch. They didn't bark. They didn't growl. They didn't even move. The dogs just laid there and stared at him. Now Sesshomaru had done some crazy things, but he wasn't stupid, so he waited…and waited. Nearly three hours he waited for his brother to show up.

They went inside and had a beer. His brother's wife was a tiny little girl with waist length blond hair and the intelligence of an ice cube. She ran around the house like a freight train. Sesshomaru suspected that she was on 'speed'. She was a topless dancer, although how she made any money with mosquito bites for tits was beyond Sesshomaru. Kossori was running off at the mouth, trying to fill Sesshomaru in on the past couple of years, but Sesshomaru wasn't in the mood for chitchat, so he endured as much as he had to, collected his money as quickly as possible and left.

He got back on the highway and headed back toward Sturgis, making sure to avoid the reservations, but he was in no particular hurry to get there. He wasn't sure why. The only thing he was sure of at the moment was that he was going to be miserable until he got his mind off of Kagome. He really didn't blame her for bolting from him at the first given chance. "I did move a little too fast," he thought. "I should never have touched her." She had been through a hell of a lot in the past weeks, and she barely knew him. He told himself that she was probably confused about all that she had been through, and he was sure that he hadn't helped any. Hell, he was confused too. "But I'll find her again someday, after she finds herself."

----------------------------

He only stopped for gas once. He began to feel more at ease when he saw Sturgis in the distance . "Maybe," he thought, "once I get back to Phoenix, I can get over her." But he knew that he was lying to himself. He would never forget her, no matter how hard he tried. His thoughts turned outward as he rolled into Sturgis and found Miroku buying a new pair of sunglasses at one of the vendor booths. Miroku turned as Sesshomaru called to him. Miroku was sporting a good-sized 'shiner' on his left eye.

"What happened to you?" Sesshomaru laughed.

"A girl," Miroku replied sourly.

"A chick did that to you? Let me guess...you asked her to have your children?"

"Yeah, long story. I'll tell you about it later. Where is she?"

"I left her at the reservation," Sesshomaru replied flatly as he looked the other direction.

"I don't believe you let her go."

"It was her decision, Miroku. It's what she wanted. I asked her to come with me, but she wouldn't listen. She insisted that it would be better for both of us if she stayed there. Who knows, maybe she's right. I mean, what kind of life could I give her? She deserves better."

"And you think she'll find it there? Are you listening to yourself? Do you have any idea how corny that shit sounds coming from you? Do you really think she's better off there? You know how hard life is on the reservation."

"Yeah, I do. But, so did she. It doesn't matter anymore. She chose her path."

"Hey, Sesshomaru," Miroku asked with a grin, "did you two…?" he wagged his eyebrows for effect.

"Yeah," he answered as he looked away. "Why?"

"I knew it. I _knew_ you couldn't keep your hands off her," Miroku laughed.

"Oh really? What else do you _know_?"

"I know that you don't believe a single word of what you just finished saying. And I _know_ **you**. You're going to go after her. Aren't you?"

"Probably so," Sesshomaru smiled.

"You love her, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do. I wasn't sure at first, but I have never felt this way about anything. I mean, when I look in her eyes, I forget everything. I have never felt this possessive about anything in my entire life – not even my bike," he paused briefly. "I can't_ believe _I'm actually saying this crap in front of another guy!"

"Don't sweat it. I won't tell if you don't. But, it definitely sounds like love. But enough of this shit, let's get back to camp."

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Sesshomaru and Miroku rolled into camp and found Kouga reading a book. Inu was a couple of tents away trying to put the moves on a couple of stray women, and not being very successful. Kouga looked up and nodded at Sesshomaru, then he returned to his book. Miroku sat down to read an event flyer he had picked up at one of the vendors. Sesshomaru went about setting up his tent.

When his tent was finished, he grabbed a beer from Inu and crawled inside. He laid down and stared at the shadows on the ceiling. He knew that he shouldn't have touched Kagome. Now he was beginning to regret that he had, and he figured that she was too.

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Kagome looked out the window as the prairie sped by. Souta and Kagome were headed for Montana. Kagome was consumed by her thoughts.

"Hey," Souta asked as he nudged her shoulder, "are you ok?"

"Huh?" she replied.

"I asked if you are alright. You have been staring out the window with a blank face for a couple of hours now."

"Yeah, I'm ok. Thanks for asking though. I was just thinking, that's all."

"What were you thinking about, if you don't mind me asking?"

"It's ok. I was just thinking about everything that has happened in the past weeks."

"Why don't you start at the beginning, because quite frankly, I ain't got a clue about what's going on or why I'm hiding you from The Law."

"You mean grandpa didn't tell you."

"Nope, and I didn't ask. I trust his judgment, and if he felt it was necessary for me to take you with me, I will it without question."

"Oh, I'm so sorry. It was not my intention to get anyone else involved with my problems."

"It's ok, really. Now start at the beginning."

Kagome began reciting the events that had taken place in the past week. She recounted how she and Sango had gone to work on Sunday and how the fight in the café ensued when the Navaho men hit her. She told him how Rose had given them the bag of money and forced them to leave and then how she and Sango had hitchhiked up to Colorado. Kagome told him about how the Navaho men had picked them up and them raped and killed Sango. She could barely choke out the words when she told him how she had killed the Fat Boy. Then finally, she went on to tell him how Sesshomaru and his friends had picked her up and taken her the rest of the way to Rosebud.

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"You got a boyfriend?" Souta asked later as Kagome finished the hamburger she had bought for supper.

"Well, not really. There is this guy, but…"

"Then why aren't you with him?"

"Because if I went with him, I would only cause more problems. He's already been in jail because of me."

"Well, what's his name? And please don't tell me it's one of those greasy bikers."

"Yeah, but he's not like that. He's really nice. His name is Sesshomaru Parker. He's part Cheyenne, but he has a little Japanese in him too. He has long silver hair and a gorgeous smile. He has the most beautiful eyes. He kept me out of trouble in Sturgis and he took up for me against one of his 'friends'."

"He sound pretty nice, but really sis…he's a biker. Aren't they all trouble-makers?"

"And in everyone else's eyes, aren't all Indians just lazy drunks who live off welfare?"

"Point taken, don't stereotype. Good rule to follow."

"But no...I used to think that all bikers were trouble, but his friends showed me that they aren't all like that. How about you? Do you have a girlfriend?"

"Me? You've got to be kidding. I don't have time to think about relationships. I have a ranch to run. Hell, I don't even have time to do my laundry."

"Well since you're being nice enough to help me out, I will be more than happy to help any way I can."

"Oh," he replied, "there will be plenty for you to do. You may even regret you said that."

"I doubt it," Kagome said as she drifted off to sleep.

---------------------------------

It was late in the night when Kagome and Souta reached Souta's ranch. Kagome was fast asleep. So Souta had to carry her in. He placed her gently on the couch and covered her with a light quilt. Then he went down the hall to his own room and collapsed on his bed.

_TBC..._

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	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer:** All characters pertaining to the show InuYasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi. I am not making any money from this...the only thing that I am getting out of this story is the satisfaction of knowing that other people enjoy my writing. All original characters are my creation and belong to me...as does the plot and storyline.

_**Chapter 14**_

It was almost noon when Sesshomaru crawled out of his tent. Miroku was polishing his bike. Kouga was sharpening his knife, and Inu was crashed in his tent with his feet hanging out. To everyone's surprise, there was a girl asleep beside him. Sesshomaru stretched and walked around. He had not slept very well and he was stiff, as well as sore.

"You look like warmed over dog food," Miroku told him.

"Gee, thanks a lot," Sesshomaru replied sarcastically.

"You didn't sleep too good. You kept mumbling in your sleep."

"Sorry if I kept you awake."

"No problem. So when are we going to leave for the reservation?"

"As soon as I get my boots on."

"Thought so."

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Later that afternoon, Sesshomaru and Miroku arrived in Rosebud. They asked around about Kagome, but no one seemed to know anything about anyone in particular. The only promising lead they got was that a green-eyed girl had broken some guy's leg out front of the convenience store on the previous day. But when they questioned the guys involved, they had no idea where she had gone when she left. Finally discouraged, they left the reservation and headed back to Sturgis.

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Tuesday morning, Kouga got a message that his mother had passed away in the late hours of the night. So everyone packed immediately and prepared to leave with Kouga for Denver. They reached Denver late in the afternoon and paid their respects, leaving Kouga to be with his family. Everyone else headed back to Arizona.

No one was in a particular hurry to get there. Sesshomaru was preoccupied with trying to guess where Kagome had gone. Miroku was busy trying to find a way to get Sesshomaru to think about something else. Inu was smoking a joint.

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The guys reached Phoenix on Thursday morning. Everyone went to Sesshomaru's house and crashed. They were all exhausted from the long ride. Sesshomaru went to his own familiar bed and fell asleep immediately. All of them slept out the remainder of the day. Miroku got up and left around seven and went home to his dogs. Inu got up and got a beer. Sesshomaru went back to sleep.

Friday morning, Sesshomaru woke up feeling more determined than ever. He called Miroku up and told him to meet him at the gas station up the street from Miroku's house. Twenty minutes later, Sesshomaru pulled up in his beat up red and white pick-up truck.

"Where are we headed?" Miroku asked.

"Cameron."

"Could I possibly ask why?"

"Because that's where Kagome's grandfather lives. Maybe he can tell me where she is."

"Ok. Let's drop off my bike and get rolling."

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"May I help you?" the old man asked cautiously as he answered the door.

"Are you Raymond Gray-Eagle?" Sesshomaru asked.

"May I ask who wants to know?"

"I am a friend of Kagome's."

"I am Raymond Gray-Eagle. Please, won't you come inside so that we may talk?"

"Thank you, sir," Sesshomaru replied as they followed him inside.

"How can I help you, Sesshomaru?"

"How do you know me, sir?"

"My granddaughter spoke very highly of you when I saw her on Sunday. She feels rather strongly about you, young man."

"I love Kagome, sir. I need to know that she is safe."

"She is safe. I sent her to stay with her brother so that she will not be charged for the crime she is accused of. I know she is innocent."

"I believe she is innocent too, sir. I need to give this money to her," he said as he pulled a thousand dollars from the pocket of his jacket. "I told her that I would give it to you to give to her. I need to repay her for bailing me out of jail."

"I know what you did for her, son, and you have **my** gratitude as well. However, I regret that all I can do is tell her that you were here and that you are looking for her. I cannot tell you or anyone else where she is."

"I looked for her in South Dakota, but she seems to have disappeared without a trace."

"Sesshomaru," the old man put his hand on Sesshomaru's shoulder as they turned to leave, "it is for the best."

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Miroku and Sesshomaru left Cameron and went to Flagstaff to get gas and something to eat before returning to Phoenix. They went to a burger stand and ordered their food. While they were waiting, someone with a smart mouth started a fight with Sesshomaru. The end result landed both of them in jail. Miroku drove Sesshomaru's truck back to his house and waited for Sesshomaru to be released from jail.

Well, to make a long story short, when Sesshomaru was arrested, he was carrying the gun that he had taken from Kagome. And since it was confiscated during the arrest, the police checked the ballistics to see what turned up. In the end, they found that it was the same gun that was used to kill Rose Crawford a little more than a week earlier, and the only fingerprints on it were Sesshomaru's since he had cleaned it in Sturgis.

Of course, this was all news to Sesshomaru, who was left sitting in jail. He told the police that he had found it at a rest stop off of Interstate 285 near Webster, Colorado, but they didn't believe him. They said he was just lying to try and weasel his way out of a murder charge. It occurred to Sesshomaru that Kagome was not as innocent as she had claimed to be. He began to wonder if she _had_ killed Rose Crawford and then played the innocent to get her way. He didn't want to believe that, but as things grew continually worse over the next few weeks and the evidence piled up against _him_, it got harder and harder not to.

The police, while investigating Sesshomaru's claim of finding the gun in Colorado, called the Webster police department. They had discovered the body of Sango Randall and a dead Indian man and returned them Cameron, Arizona for burial and autopsy. When they found that the same gun had been used to kill Sango Randall, they convicted Sesshomaru of all three murders and locked him away in the Arizona prison system for a sentence of forty years.

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Kagome adjusted to life on Souta's ranch quite well. There was plenty to do. She was never bored. There was no television. They did have a CB radio, though it was only used for emergencies, and they had a radio to keep up with the weather. She enjoyed getting up early each morning to feed and water the horses. Souta had a mountain of laundry to do. Although he didn't have a washer or dryer, it wasn't long before she convinced him to buy a washing machine. She also fixed meals for Souta and his helpers, which was something they truly appreciated. Most of his helpers were really nice, hard working guys around her age, but Souta had made it clear to them that she was off limits, and they showed her only respect – with an occasional teasing. Kagome was content and enjoying the simple life she was leading in Montana.

In mid-September, Kagome talked Souta into building her a chicken coop. She bought the chickens herself, insisting that the money they saved on eggs and meat would more than pay for the coop. She bought herself a nice flock of about fifty black and gold hens and ten gold roosters, and by the end of the month, they were getting around two dozen eggs a day, which was a good thing, because the men ate them like they were going out of style.

---------------------------------------

One morning, near the end of September, Kagome got up to do her chores as usual. She fed the chickens. She fed the horses. She went into the kitchen and began preparing breakfast. Craig and Jason walked in and sat down with their coffee. Then for no apparent reason, Kagome rushed out the back door and became ill. Jason and Craig rushed out after her. After several minutes, she convinced them that she was fine, and returned to the kitchen to finish breakfast.

Kagome's sick spells continued for another month. She began to get dizzy when she was up in the hayloft. She also noticed that her horse was acting unusually gentle when she was riding. Then one day, it occurred to her why these things were happening.

"Souta," she told him over dinner that evening, "I'm pregnant."

"What?" he asked, not sure that he had heard her correctly.

"I'm going to have a baby."

"Are you sure? Have you seen a doctor?"

"No. I haven't seen a doctor. I haven't been into town since I got here. But yes, I'm sure. I haven't had a period since July."

"Is Sesshomaru the father?"

"Hai. He's the only one I've been with."

"You have to tell him, you know. It's only right."

"I know."

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Kagome received a letter from her grandfather in late October. She curled up on the sofa near the fireplace to read it. The letter stated that the charges against her had been dropped. The man responsible for the murder of Rose Crawford had been caught and sentenced to forty years in prison. The letter also contained a thousand dollars. Her grandfather said that Sesshomaru had come looking for her and that it was safe to contact him if she chose to.Her grandfather said that Sesshomaru was a very nice young man and that he appeared to care for her very much.

That night, Kagome sat down at the kitchen table and wrote a letter to Sesshomaru. She told him that she loved him very much and that she wanted to see him. She told him that she was pregnant with his child. She told him that she had made a mistake when she had left him, and she knew it. She told him that she wanted to be with him. Kagome closed the letter and drew two gray feathers on the envelope. She put it in the out-going mail, truly hoping for an answer.

_TBC..._

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	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer:** All characters pertaining to the show InuYasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi. I am not making any money from this...the only thing that I am getting out of this story is the satisfaction of knowing that other people enjoy my writing. All original characters are my creation and belong to me...as does the plot and storyline.

_**Chapter 15**_

The first snow came on the following day. It was completely new to Kagome, who had never seen snow first-hand. It was all Souta could do to keep her inside. She was absolutely set on going outside into the cold, but Souta wouldn't allow it.

Kagome had a lot of free time on her hands. So she took up riding her horse. Her favorite place to go was the lake that bordered the western side of his property. She liked to go and sit on the shore, watching the waves lap rhythmically. She also liked to look at all the tracks she could find on the shore. She had seen deer tracks, wolf tracks, lots of little critter tracks, as well as mountain lion tracks. When she had found those, Souta refused to let her go out again without a shotgun, so he bought her a 410. It didn't have much kick, but it could do enough damage to seriously wound a large animal.

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Back in Arizona, it was getting dark and Inu was gone to work when a man walked onto the porch. He took the mail from the mailbox and rifled through it, tossing it back into the box. When he spotted a letter with feathers drawn on the envelope, he tucked it into his jacket and then proceeded to kick the front door in. He took the keys of Sesshomaru's bike from the coffee table and went into the garage only to find that Sesshomaru's bike was in pieces. He swore under his breath and kicked the dirt floor, leaving the keys on the ground as he fled the house.

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Weeks passed quickly after she mailed her letter. She watched the mail eagerly each day, but there was no response. She began to lose hope of ever seeing Sesshomaru again. Maybe he didn't care for her as much as she thought. But it didn't matter, she told herself, because the child she carried in her womb was his and in that way, a part of him would be with her always.

---------------------------------

Sesshomaru had been locked up for two months when the nights began to get cold. The heating in the cellblock was less than adequate, so he spent most of his time pumping weights or reading in the library. Miroku was trying to track down Kagome for him. Sesshomaru spent a lot of time thinking of how much he loved her. He was miserable. He was angry about being locked up for crimes that he didn't commit. Anger can often cloud one's judgment. His heart knew that she was innocent, but his head refused to listen, so Sesshomaru spent his days in prison and his nights in the hell of his tortured dreams.

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Kagome went riding one morning in November and returned to the house carrying a wolf/dog pup. She explained that she had found it in a trap near the lake, which was highly unusual since the only traps that Souta ever used were beaver traps, and he only used _them_ in spring. He cautioned her to be more careful when she went out riding. Kagome nursed the pup back to health and it ended up staying as her pet.

As the weather got colder, Kagome spent more and more time inside the house. She took up sewing to pass the time. She still did her chores as usual. The pup, Lakota, stayed at her side, guarding her every step.

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By December, Kagome's stomach was slightly larger, and she was beginning to look pregnant. Souta restricted Kagome to the house, except to tend to the animals. He was afraid that she would go out riding and get hurt. Since the snow was deep in places, it could be tricky. Kagome agreed not to leave the yard alone.

Souta bought her a sewing machine for Christmas. She was overjoyed the day he brought it home from Browning. After that, she spent her days in front of her sewing machine making clothes for everyone, including herself. She also began making quilts from the scraps left over from making clothes.

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The last day of December, it had not snowed for several days, so Kagome sneaked out to the stable and saddled her horse. She headed out to where Souta and the others were supposed to be working, but when she arrived, they had already moved on. She rode on toward the lake. But when she reached the edge of the woods, she was not prepared for what she found. One of their cows lay dead in the snow.

Lakota began to growl lowly and hackled up, baring his teeth. He was watching something in the trees. Kagome saw that the cow had been shot by a pistol, judging from the size of the wound. Lakota pounced on Kagome, dragging her to the ground just as a bullet whizzed by her head. Lakota had saved her life. Kagome got up and ran for the horse. She didn't even bother to grab the shotgun. She jumped on the horse and headed for home just as fast as the horse could go.

Souta was waiting for her with a scowl on his face. She jumped down off the horse and threw her arms around him. She told them what had happened and swore that she would not go out alone again. The guys hopped in a truck and headed out, fully armed, but when they reached the dead cow, the man with the gun was nowhere to be found.

-------------------------------

In January, Kagome opened her own store at a flea market in Heart Butte. She made her prices a little lower for the people of the reservation, and a slight bit higher for tourists. She had a variety of clothing and other crafts.

Sesshomaru was still miserable. Miroku was still searching for Kagome. Inu was still drunk. Kouga had gotten married. Sesshomaru's sister-in-law had gotten pregnant, and it was not Kossori's. Sesshomaru took up painting to pass the time.

---------------------------

Souta broke his arm in mid-February, so Kagome had to help him out a lot. Souta insisted that she was being over assertive, but she would not hear it. She was dragging bails of hay from the barn regularly. Souta was griping her out on a daily basis because he thought she was over exerting herself.

Sesshomaru sat alone in his cell with only the walls for company. He thought of how much he hated Kagome for doing that to him. He thought of how much he missed her luminous green eyes and her curious touch. He remembered how her body had glowed in the firelight, how it had awakened at his touch. He thought he would surely go insane if he didn't get news of her soon.

---------------------------

March came quickly. The weather began to warm gradually throughout the month. Kagome tilled and planted her garden. Lakota had grown to at least seventy-five pounds. He still followed her everywhere. Kagome's stomach stuck out for what seemed to her like a mile. Her horse fathered a beautiful red colt, which Souta gave to her.

By the end of March, Kagome had not received a reply from Sesshomaru. Maybe, she thought, he had had someone waiting for him in Arizona the whole time. But regardless of whether or not it was true, Kagome would always love the person she had fallen in love with. She subconsciously patted her growing belly and smiled. She knew that even if she never heard from him, she would survive and raise a beautiful child…their child. The baby kicked for the first time.

-----------------------------

April brought frequent rains, and the beginning of the pow-wow season. Souta and the guys fixed up an old truck for her to travel with. It was an old beat-up Dodge truck that was just as dirty as Souta's car, and just as reliable. She sat up tables at the various events to sell her quilts, clothes, and other goods.

Kagome attended her first pow-wow in mid-April. Souta went with her, and so did Lakota. Everyone went to Great Falls for the first event of the season. Kagome had never been to a pow-wow and was amazed at all the different tribes that were represented. Souta urged her to join in one of the dances. She did, reluctantly, and she enjoyed it until the baby started kicking. She took that a message for her to sit back down.

Near the end of April, the cows started having their calves. Souta's arm was healed. The weather was pleasant. The guys spent a lot of time out in the pasture mending fences that had broken during the winter. They also began working on a second house, not too far from the main house. Kagome had no idea why they needed another house, but Souta told her not to worry about it. Lakota weighed near ninety pounds and was pretty big for a dog, though by wolf standards, he was only average.

When Souta took a portion of the older cattle to slaughter, he sent the hides to a man on the reservation to be tanned. Kagome would get some very fine leather from them. She had become quite a skilled seamstress, and she planned to make some traditional outfits to sell at the pow-wows.

_TBC..._

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	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer:** All characters pertaining to the show InuYasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi. I am not making any money from this...the only thing that I am getting out of this story is the satisfaction of knowing that other people enjoy my writing. All original characters are my creation and belong to me...as does the plot and storyline.

_**Chapter 16**_

On May 1st, Kagome was at a pow-wow in Lodge Grass, Montana. She was on the Crow Indian Reservation. Eric, one of the ranch hands, went with her to help her out while she danced in the shawl dance competition. At around two-thirty, Kagome went out to dance. She noticed that there was a big storm approaching and that the air had gotten unusually warm. She could feel the electricity in the air as if it were surging beneath her skin. After the shawl dance was over, a handsome Crow man asked her to join him in the couples' competition. He took her hand and led her out into the arena. It felt strange having another man's arm around her and subconsciously she let a couple of tears escape before she blinked them away. But her feeling of loneliness was gone in a flash. Her water broke and her body began to cramp. She cried out and fell to the ground as her knees went weak. She was not sure what was happening and it frightened her. Her dance partner scooped her up in his arms and quickly carried her to the tent of a medicine man named Charlie Black-Feather.

"Where is your husband?" the healer asked.

"I have no husband," Kagome replied, ashamed.

"Are you here alone, child?"

"No. One of my brother's employees is here with me. He is tending to my booth for me."

"Well, he has no business in here, but I will inform him that you are having your baby."

"Please tell him to bring Lakota to me," she said as she watched him leave the tent.

He returned shortly with Lakota on his heels. Two Crow women followed him closely.

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A storm blew in off the desert where Sesshomaru was imprisoned in Arizona. The inmates were forced to go inside. Sesshomaru returned to his cell and stared at the ceiling. "Where is she?" he thought, "and what is she doing?" He knew somehow that she was in pain. He decided to paint to take his mind off of her, but when he was finished drawing the outlines, it was a portrait of her with two wolves by her side.

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Lightning split the sky and thunder rolled across the reservation. A woman screamed in pain as she fought to bring her child into the world. The tent smelled of sage and the rain drizzled down its sides, forming bizarre patterns in the flashing light. A wolf pup whined nervously as its master cried out. Four hours later, a child's cry brought the suffering to an end.

"You are the mother of a baby girl," the healer told Kagome. "What will you name her?"

"Kirei Arashi Parker." Kagome replied as she drifted off into the blackness of sleep.

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When Kagome awoke sometime later, she saw Charlie Black-Feather sitting across from her, smoking a pipe. Lakota was curled up beside her. She could see through the open tent flap, that the rain had stopped and the sun was shining again. She was covered with a beautiful robe of bearskin. Then she noticed the absence of the women, and her daughter.

"Where is my daughter?" Kagome inquired weakly.

"Fear not, little one," he replied calmly. "She is with my wife and daughter. They are seeing to her so that you may rest."

"I want to feed her," Kagome protested.

"You can not. Do you not see that there is no milk for her?"

"Is there something wrong with me?"

"I think not. It is just one of those things that happens occasionally. Do not worry yourself over why. Be patient. I will see that she is brought to you shortly."

"Thank you, sir."

"What is your name, little one?"

"I am Kagome Gray-Eagle, of the Lakota."

"You are the granddaughter of Raymond Gray-Eagle?"

"Yes, sir. How do you know my grandfather?"

"He is a good man who has done much for many of the People. He turned my own son from a path of self-pity back to the ways of our people. He is a good and honorable man."

"Yes sir, he is."

About then, Eric poked his head into the tent.

"It seems that you have a visitor," Charlie said.

"How are you, Kagome?"

"A little tired," she replied sarcastically.

"Look, you don't need to worry about your things. I have everything under control. You just rest a while."

"Eric," she said as she squeezed his hand, "thank you for being so good to me."

"Anytime, sis," he said as he left the tent.

As Eric left, another man entered. It was her dance partner from earlier. He was still dressed in buckskins. He knelt down beside her.

"This is my son," Charlie introduced them, "Nathan Black-Knife."

"You gave me quite a scare earlier," Nathan said as he looked at her affectionately.

"Gomen ne," she apologized and then noticed his confusion at her words. "I'm sorry. May I please hold my daughter?"

"I will bring her to you," Nathan said as he left the tent.

He returned quickly, carrying Kirei in his arms. He knelt down and placed the child in Kagome's arms. She held her child and began to cry as she looked at her tiny finger and her soft dark skin. Her hair was a dark, like her own. She had a tiny birthmark on the inside of her left arm that strongly resembled a wolf's paw print. Her eyes were a light and golden like honey...like Sesshomaru's. She was beautiful. Kirei grasped at the red beads and the oval shell on Kagome's necklace until Nathan took her away again.

"How long have I been in here?"

"Four days. You had a difficult delivery and lost a lot of blood. You need to rest," Charlie instructed her, and she really didn't feel like arguing. Nathan returned and rested Kagome's head in his lap as she fell asleep.

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Through the next two days, the festivities continued. Eric handled her stand for her. Her strength was returning gradually. Nathan waited on her hand and foot, always with a warm smile. Nathan's sister, Dawn, talked with Kagome about feeding Kirei. Kagome was extremely grateful for all the help and advice.

On Sunday, Eric and Nathan packed up all of Kagome's things into the truck. Nathan helped her into her truck. Charlie handed Kirei to her. Kagome thanked them all for the kindness that they had shown her. Eric pulled out of the parking area and headed back toward the ranch. They arrived back at the ranch late in the afternoon. Souta's jaw almost hit the ground when he saw Kirei curled up in Kagome's arms.

TBC...

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	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer:** All characters pertaining to the show InuYasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi. I am not making any money from this...the only thing that I am getting out of this story is the satisfaction of knowing that other people enjoy my writing. All original characters are my creation and belong to me...as does the plot and storyline.

_**Chapter 17**_

June came and went. Kagome was regaining her former strength. Her stomach had flattened back out due to her exercises. Souta had insisted that she not do chores for a while, but she jumped back into her routine with all that she had. Kagome carried Kirei in a sling across her shoulder so that she could keep an eye on her. Kagome insisted that if she didn't work in the garden, everything would die because no one else had the time to do it, and of course, she was right. Kagome no longer concerned herself with whether or not Sesshomaru would show up one day. It was obvious that he didn't care about her as much as he had claimed, because she suspected that if he really wanted to find her, he could have. Sesshomaru would always be in her heart, but she had other priorities now. She had a daughter to raise – a very beautiful daughter with golden eyes – Sesshomaru's daughter. She would not be raised as Kagome had – in an empty house. Kagome would be there for her.

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July arrived with a heat wave that was uncommon for Montana and with it came Kagome's birthday. The other house had been finished for several weeks, but Kagome had not been inside it yet. Souta still had not told her why he had built it. It was a little less than a hundred feet to the west of the main house. On her birthday, Souta blindfolded Kagome and led her to the house. He removed her blindfold as she walked in the front door. Kagome was speechless. It was huge inside. The walls were log, just like the outside. It had a hardwood floor, just like Souta's house. There was a huge stone fireplace in the living room. A small staircase to the left of the front door led up to the loft. Kagome could see a small dining area to the right of the kitchen. There was a set of swinging doors, the kind you see at saloons in old western movies, leading into the kitchen. Kagome went up the stairs to the loft, where she found a big four-poster bed. Next to it was Kirei's crib. There was a rail across the front, small enough that Kirei, when she learned to crawl, would not fit through. There was also a small locking gate in front of the stairs. Kagome walked over to look down into the living room. The chimney from the fireplace ran up the wall next to the bed. Kagome didn't know what to think. It was hers, a new home for her and little Kirei. Kagome threw her arms around Souta's neck and cried.

----------------------------

August 20th came and went, slower than possible it seemed to Sesshomaru. He had been locked up for a year, although it seemed more like two or three. Sesshomaru had gotten used to waking up behind bars, but no one in their right mind would enjoy being there. Miroku wrote him twice a week. Inu and one of his girlfriends came by to see him, occasionally. Miroku came by to pick up Sesshomaru's paintings. Miroku sold the paintings for him and then put the money into Sesshomaru's saving account.

Miroku, at Sesshomaru's request, stopped looking for Kagome. Sesshomaru felt sure that she had found herself someone nice and gotten on with her life. He felt that she was content, but he knew, somehow, that she was still lonely. Sesshomaru would be up for parole the next year, and then he would find her. But until then, he painted.

Kagome, on one of her trips into Browning, ran into Nathan. She discovered that he lived and worked there. They quickly became the best of friends. Nathan became a frequent visitor at Kagome's house, spending many nights there.

---------------------------------------------

One August morning, Kagome woke up to Lakota growling. She got up and checked on Kirei, who was sleeping quietly in her crib. Kagome walked over to the rail. Nathan was asleep on the couch, covered with one of her quilts. It was still early, about three in the morning. It was too early for anyone to be awake, so when she saw a shadow move past the window next to the front door, she became concerned. Kagome threw on a long shirt and grabbed her shotgun before she opened the front door. She stepped outside only to find a dead wolf lying on her doorstep. She screamed as she tripped over its limp body. Seconds later, Nathan and Souta were both outside. It's throat had been cut, and it had been shot with a handgun, just like the cow. Souta and Nathan put the body in the back of Nathan's truck. Kagome wondered what kind of a person would do things like that. Kagome began to doubt her own safety, as well as that of her daughter. Lakota's whining worried her, so she ran back inside and grabbed Kirei from her crib. She closed all the shutters in the house and curled up on the couch.

Kirei opened her eyes and Kagome saw just how much she looked like her father. Kagome held Kirei to her and cried silent tears. Seeing Sesshomaru's reflection in her daughters innocent eyes, reminded her of the pain she had carefully tucked away deep inside. Subconsciously, Kagome reached up and rubbed the bone choker that was wrapped around her throat.

Nathan watched her as she silently cried. He could see by the expression on her face the reason she wept – loneliness. Nathan knew how she felt. He woman he had fallen in love with could never be his, for her heart belonged to another, someone who wasn't worthy of her. But regardless of his feelings, his place was at her side, so he gently sat next to her and embraced her. Kagome looked at him through eyes filled with sadness, and she saw her pain mirrored in his eyes. She felt a burden being lifted from her heart as she realized that she was not alone. She smiled at Nathan and hugged him back. They sat there on the couch until the sun began to color the morning sky.

----------------------------------

September arrived and the weather began to cool off. Kagome began to harvest vegetables; and although she would not be finished until late October, she took great pride in her hard work. Kirei was five months old and she was beginning to walk. She had been crawling for nearly two months already. Kagome was proud of her girl, although she was quite a handful to keep up with. Lakota was never far from their side, and although there hadn't been any trouble for weeks, Kagome kept her senses alert.

Kagome wrote another letter to Sesshomaru in mid-September. She told him that she still cared for him, even if he didn't care for her. She told him how stupid she had been for even getting involved with a biker in the first place, and then she apologized for being so angry. She told him that she should have known that he would not come back for her. Kagome told him how much their daughter had grown and how much she looked like him. She told him that she really wanted him to see his daughter, and that she would be down at Christmas.

Back in Arizona, Sesshomaru still sat in his prison cell, painting to pass the time. Miroku wrote Sesshomaru that there were a couple of drug dealing Indians that he had run across who were bragging about how they had raped and killed a Indian girl in Colorado and gotten away with it. Miroku was going to try to find out more about the situation. Sesshomaru began to regain hope of getting out and clearing his name.

----------------------------------------

Kagome finished harvesting near the middle of October. She was ever watchful when she was outside. There had been a lot of snakes around the garden that year, especially in the melon patch. Kirei had disturbed one once, and if it hadn't been for Lakota, her daughter would be dead. There was also the ever-present threat of whoever it was that was stalking her. She had found two dead rabbits, as well as a deer in the past three weeks. The thought was always present in her mind that it could be one of the guys who had raped and killed Sango.

Nathan lost his job in Browning, so Souta offered him a job on the ranch. Kagome thought that Souta was trying to set them up as a couple. Souta let him move in at the main house. After he moved in, he began to teach her the many uses of the plants and trees that were native to the area. He also taught her how to use a bow and a spear. He was a good teacher, and Kagome was a quick learner. Kagome got to test her herbal remedies on the guys at the ranch. Nathan was always there to help her mix the right ingredients. Kagome had always wanted an exciting life, but now she found that she was enjoying a simple life and finding pleasure in hard work and watching her daughter grow.

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In November, Kagome's business was doing fairly well. She didn't have much time during the warm months, but when winter hit, she had plenty of time to make quilts, clothes and other items for the store, in addition to selling the excess eggs she was getting weekly. Kagome took Kirei with her when she went to the store on the weekends. Many of the customers liked to hold and play with her. Lakota rarely left Kirei's side. He was her new protector. Kagome knew that Kirei was well guarded no matter where they went. Kirei was quite a handful, even for Lakota and was constantly getting into stuff.

Early in the month of November, Souta found a dead bear cub in the cattle pen next to the barn. It, just like the others, had been shot. Kagome really wondered what kind of sick psycho was stalking her. What worried her most was the thought that one day it might be her turn, or even worse, her daughter's. Souta took the pelts to be tanned so that Kagome could use them in her sewing projects.

_TBC..._

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	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer:** All characters pertaining to the show InuYasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi. I am not making any money from this...the only thing that I am getting out of this story is the satisfaction of knowing that other people enjoy my writing. All original characters are my creation and belong to me...as does the plot and storyline.

_**Chapter 18**_

December arrived with a blast of snow. Kagome mailed Sesshomaru a Christmas card, but it never reached him, just like all of the other letters she had sent to him in the previous year and a half. Kagome prepared to leave for Arizona the week before Christmas. She helped Souta pack several quilts and their clothes into the back seat of the Chevelle, surrounding Kirei with a cushion, seeing that she didn't have a car seat of any sort. Kirei didn't care; she was busy looking out the windows as they drove. Lakota stayed curled up on one of the quilts next to Kirei. Kagome drove during the day, and Souta drove at night. The weather wasn't too bad although the heater didn't work half of the time.

They spent the week of Christmas with their grandfather in Cameron. On Christmas Day, Kagome took Kirei and left for Phoenix. She had decided before they ever left Montana to take Kirei to see her father. If Sesshomaru didn't want to be part of their lives that was his choice, but she had to let him know how she felt. She had to let Sesshomaru see their daughter – it was only right.

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It was snowing when she reached Phoenix. It did not take her too long to find Sesshomaru's house, although when she did, she was more than a little disappointed. The place was a wreck. There were several broken windows. The fence was in need of serious repair. The car in the drive was even worse, and on top of that, there were beer cans and bottles all over the front yard, as if there had been a party on the previous night.

Kagome steeled herself for the worst and knocked on the door. A tall, leggy woman whose hair was currently dyed black, answered the door. The woman was wearing nothing other than a very sheer teddy that Kagome could see everything through. Kagome grabbed Kirei's hand as she tried to run into the house chasing a cat.

"Is Sesshomaru here?" Kagome asked, hesitant to hear the answer.

"No, he's gone right now. Who are you?" the woman asked rudely, immediately noticing that the child had golden eyes and her dark hair was beginning to develop strands of silver, like Sesshomaru.

"My name is Kagome Gray-Eagle. Could I please leave something for him?"

"Sure, I'll give it to him."

"Thank you, ma'am."

Kagome handed the woman a key ring with two gray feathers made of leather. Then she took her daughter's tiny hand and led her back to the car. Kagome carefully put Kirei into the back seat of the car. She waved to the woman and then pulled out onto the street. Inu came to the door just as she disappeared around the corner.

"Who was it?" he asked Kikyo.

"Some Indian girl. She was looking for Sesshomaru."

"What was her name?" he asked, as his eyes grew large.

"I think her name was Kagame or something like that. Anyway, she left this for him." Kikyo handed the key ring to Inu.

"It was Kagome. I don't believe it. Man is Sesshomaru gonna be surprised when we see him. He really loves her, you know," Inu said as he turned to get his jacket. Kikyo grit her teeth and scowled fiercely. "Miroku's been looking for her for over a year. Hey, hurry up and get dressed. If we aren't there on time, we won't get to see him."

------------------------------

Kikyo and Inu took Sesshomaru's truck to the prison to visit Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru was glad for the company, although he wished that Inu had left Kikyo at home. She was, as usual, wearing something completely unsuitable to wear into a prison; and he knew she had done it on purpose. They talked for a while, waiting for the right time to tell Sesshomaru about Kagome. Finally he had to ask.

"What are you hiding?" Sesshomaru asked Inu point blank.

"Well," he answered cautiously, "we had a surprise guest this morning."

"Who?"

Inu didn't answer him immediately. He handed Sesshomaru a small box. Sesshomaru opened it carefully. He looked at it, not believing his eyes as he removed the key ring from the box. He looked at Inu, who was smiling. Sesshomaru's eyes were lit up like Christmas lights.

"Did she say where she was staying?"

"No," Kikyo answered. "She just gave me the key ring and left. You know, she's very pretty. '_God I'm glad I got rid of those letters,'_ she thought.

"Yeah, she is. She's beautiful," Sesshomaru watched Kikyo grit her teeth at that remark. Kikyo had always like Sesshomaru, and he knew it. He also knew by the look in her eyes that she wasn't telling him the whole story, but as hard as he tried, she would not let anything slip.

Kikyo knew what he was up to, and she wasn't about to tell Sesshomaru that Kagome had been carrying a baby girl with her. If she let that slip, she knew that any chance she had of getting together with Sesshomaru after he got out of prison would be shot all to hell.

That night, as Sesshomaru lay in his bed, he knew, with both his head and his heart that Kagome was innocent of the crimes for which he had been convicted. He resolved that when he got out, hopefully soon, he was going to find her again. It was obvious that she still cared about him. Why else would she have shown up at his doorstep? He was sure that there was still something worth saving, and he was going to do everything in his power to do it. He smiled to himself as he grasped the key ring in his hand, hoping with all his might that he was right.

-----------------------------------

Kagome was quiet for most of the trip back to Montana. Souta knew that something had happened in Phoenix. He didn't know exactly what, but he had his suspicions. Kagome had not said much since she had come back from Phoenix. Souta and her grandfather tried to coax her into talking, but were unsuccessful. He could see in her eyes that her heart was breaking, so he guessed that she had found what she was looking for, with poor results.

Kagome was eager to return to Montana – where she would never have to think about Sesshomaru, or the half-naked woman who had brazenly answered his door. Kagome had known when she left for Phoenix that the possibility of Sesshomaru having a girlfriend was a very real one; but she had gone anyway. Now, she felt like kicking herself for being so stupid. She had been content with _not_ knowing.

Raymond Gray-Eagle returned to Montana with his grand children. He was ill and he was dying. He had been diagnosed with emphysema. He wanted to spend the last of his days up where the air was clean and the water was pure. He wanted to spend what little time he had left with Kagome and Souta, and beautiful little Kirei.

Nathan was waiting for her with open arms when she reached the ranch. Kagome was glad to be home. The ranch, the mountains, Souta, Nathan, and her daughter…they were her family. That is where she decided that she belonged. Kagome threw herself into her work with a vengeance. She didn't want to give herself time to think about what had transpired in Arizona. Nathan tried to comfort her, but she didn't want to be comforted. She was angry with Sesshomaru for finding someone else. She was angry with herself for thinking that he would do otherwise. But her daughter was her saving grace. All she had to do was look into her daughter's innocent face and her anger would disperse like magic. It was impossible to remain angry when Kirei's beautiful eyes looked straight into her soul and shone with unconditional love.

_TBC..._

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	19. Chapter 19

**_A/N_**: I am going to be out of town this weekend, so I am going to post three chapters this morning before I leave. Hopefully that will appease my readers until I return on Monday.

**Disclaimer:** All characters pertaining to the show InuYasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi. I am not making any money from this...the only thing that I am getting out of this story is the satisfaction of knowing that other people enjoy my writing. All original characters are my creation and belong to me...as does the plot and storyline.

_**Chapter 19**_

Sesshomaru was released from prison late in January. Miroku had gone to the police when the two men who had raped and killed Sango began bragging about it to him. When the police investigated it, they got one of the two to confess, and it turned out that they had also murdered and robbed Rose Crawford. After he confessed, his partner was arrested. Sesshomaru's name was cleared, although there was nothing that the government could do to compensate Sesshomaru for his year and a half of exile. They tried to pay him off, but in the end, Sesshomaru got a lawyer and a settlement of close to a million dollars. He put the money into his saving accounts with all the rest he had earned from his paintings.

The first thing he did when he got out was fix up his house. He went through all of his mail, but there was nothing of importance. Miroku had taken care of the taxes for him, and Inu, surprisingly, had been paying all the bills. It took him nearly a month to get things back in shape.

After he had fixed up his house, Sesshomaru went to Cameron to visit with Kagome's grandfather. He went to the old man's trailer, but it was empty. There was a 'for sale' sign poked into the ground out front. Sesshomaru went to the neighbor's house, and they told him that Raymond Gray-Eagle had disappeared right after Christmas. They didn't know where he had gone, but he had quit his job in Cameron, packed up all of his things and vanished. Sesshomaru, frustrated, left and returned to Phoenix.

-------------------------------------------------

Near the end of February, Sesshomaru got a letter from his parents on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation in Montana. They wanted him to come visit them. He agreed to go visit them later in the year. He was busy working on his bike, which Inu had torn apart and never fixed.

Kagome was busy with her shop. Her grandfather helped out around the ranch as much as his health would allow. Kirei was almost one year old, or at least she would be in a couple of months, and she was almost impossible to keep up with. Everything was going fine except for the continuing torture of finding slaughtered animals. Whoever it was that was stalking her had gotten worse. Souta and the guys had begun to find traps set in various places in the woods, but especially near the lake where Kagome liked to go riding. Everyone had to be extra careful when they went riding. Several of their cows had to be killed after getting their feet caught in them. It was becoming quite a nuisance.

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April rolled around again and with it came the rains that Kagome needed to get an early start on her garden. She planted her potatoes, lettuce and broccoli, as well as some herbs that she needed to make medicine. The pow-wow season was also beginning soon, so Kagome got busy making her costumes, and plenty of things to sell. As they did the previous year, they all went to Great Falls for the first gathering of the year. Kagome closed down her shop so that she could go to pow-wows on the weekends.

_TBC..._

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	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer:** All characters pertaining to the show InuYasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi. I am not making any money from this...the only thing that I am getting out of this story is the satisfaction of knowing that other people enjoy my writing. All original characters are my creation and belong to me...as does the plot and storyline.

_**Chapter 20**_

They all went to Lodge Grass on the Crow Indian Reservation the first week of May. Nathan met up with his father. Charlie was happy to see Raymond again, although his health was deteriorating. Kagome donated several items as prizes for the competitions. Kagome entered herself in the shawl dance competition. There were a lot more people there than in the previous year. Nathan was competing in several of the competitions.

Kagome went out to compete at around noon on Friday. While she was out dancing, she heard a couple of motorcycles roar in. She wanted to look, but she forced herself to ignore them. She told herself that there was no point in getting her hopes up. She placed third in the competition, winning a thirty-dollar gift certificate at one of the booths. After she was finished, she changed into something more comfortable than her traditional costume. She put on jeans and a leather halter-vest that was made out of thin, soft pigskin and was cut low in the back. She tugged her boots back on and went to collect her gift certificate.

About an hour later, Nathan competed in a hoop-dance exhibition, for which he placed first. He won a painting that someone had donated. He brought it back to Kagome's booth, thinking how much it looked like Kagome. Raymond and Charlie were watching Kirei play.

There was a masked dance later in the evening, so Kagome and Nathan donned their custom made masks and headed back to the arena. Nathan joined the group of men who were circling the arena choosing their partners. Kagome saw Nathan pick a teenage girl in a blue dress. Kagome looked up as a man stopped in front of her. He was wearing tanned buckskin breeches. He was not wearing a shirt, and Kagome couldn't help but thinking that he had a handsome chest. He held out his hand to her and helped her to her feet. If she had looked farther, she would have noticed that his hair was a dark silver and was pulled back into a low ponytail.

"This feels familiar," they both thought as she took his hand. He looped his arm around her waist as they began to dance to the beat of the drums. He could see tears slip from beneath her mask, as he slowly spun her around. He placed his hand against her cheek and wiped the tears from her face. It was as if a jolt of electricity ran through their veins when he touched her, and it made Kagome nervous. She pulled away from him. They continued to dance until the final drumbeat signaled the end. Kagome pulled away from her partner and began walking from the arena. For no apparent reason, he followed her.

They walked in silence, both looking straight ahead. Kagome was carefully ignoring him, though she knew he was only a few feet behind her. A group of riders on horses pranced past them forcing them to step to the side. But as Kagome neared her booth, a snake crawled across the path in front of the horses. Kagome watched in horror as one of the horses reared up, throwing its rider. Kirei, who was chasing a puppy, came running out into the path of the rampaging horse.

"KIREI, IIE!" Kagome screamed as the horse barreled toward her daughter. Kagome threw off her mask and ran for her, but she knew she wouldn't reach her in time. Her grandfather ran out and threw himself on top of Kirei just as the maniacal beast bore down on them, shielding the child and taking the blows himself. Kagome's dance partner ran to aid them as everyone gathered to help. Kagome dropped to her knees in front of them, rolling her grandfather over to get to her daughter, who was now wailing uncontrollably. Kagome scooped Kirei into her arms.

"Mama," the little girl cried as she began to calm down and she played with the red beads on her mama's choker. Kagome inspected her face and head for any cuts that might be hidden beneath her auburn hair. Kagome hugged the child to her as if there was no tomorrow.

Raymond put his hand on her arm. "Is she alright?" he asked weakly.

"I don't know...I think so," Kagome replied as she looked at her grandfather.

"Good, then my job is done," he said as he closed his eyes peacefully.

"Jiichan, No!" Kagome wailed as her grandfather passed over. Kagome threw her head on his chest. Kirei hugged her grandfather and began to sniffle.

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Kagome's dance partner stood over them in disbelief. He recognized the old man as Raymond Gray-Eagle, Kagome's grandfather. When Kagome had taken her mask off, the movement of her hair had revealed the feathers tattooed on her left shoulder. His heart had almost melted. That was Kagome's tattoo. Then when the little girl had called her 'mama', his heart stuck in his throat. She had a daughter. That, he thought, meant that she had found someone else and started a family. He watched as she threw her arms around one of the men kneeling beside her. "That must be her husband," he thought. Then the little girl waddled over to him and tugged on his pants, wanting to be picked up.

Kagome looked at her daughter, and then she looked up at her dance partner as he bent down to pick up the child. Her face paled as their eyes met. Her eyes were large and filled with what could only be described as fear. "Iie...This can't be happening..." she gasped as her lips began to tremble.

The little girl lifted his mask with her tiny hands. He looked at the little girl, and then he looked at Kagome, whose face was almost white. He looked back at the child, and when he saw her eyes, he was taken aback. They were golden, the color of honey - like his.

"Sesshomaru…no," she managed to choke out, but she couldn't manage to say anything else. Kagome stood and tore her daughter from his arms and raced away, leaving everyone standing over her grandfather as the ambulance arrived with sirens wailing.

_TBC..._

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	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer:** All characters pertaining to the show InuYasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi. I am not making any money from this...the only thing that I am getting out of this story is the satisfaction of knowing that other people enjoy my writing. All original characters are my creation and belong to me...as does the plot and storyline.

_**Chapter 21 **_

Kagome sat on the tailgate of her truck, crying and clinging to Kirei. She didn't even hear him as Sesshomaru walked up. He put his hand on her arm. Kagome looked up at him, and jerked her arm away from him.

"What do you want?" she asked angrily as she looked at the ground.

"Kagome, I'm sorry about your grandfather," he said, trying to comfort her.

"I don't want your sympathy," she said as she wiped the dirt from Kirei's face and continued to inspect Kirei for cuts.

"Is she ok?"

"I don't know. I think so, but I'm going to take her to the hospital anyway." Kagome said hostilely as she shoved past him and marched back to her booth.

"I'm coming with you," he said.

"I don't care what you do," Kagome replied angrily.

"Souta," she said as she approached everyone. "I am going to take Kirei to the hospital to be checked out."

Souta put his arm around her and said, "I'll take care of everything here. I'll be there as soon as I can." He kissed her on the forehead while he looked at Sesshomaru hostilely. "Do you want Nathan to go with you?" he asked as he looked accusingly at Sesshomaru.

"No. You are both needed here. I'll be alright," she said as she turned to leave. Lakota whined as she walked past. "No, stay," she commanded.

Kagome climbed into her truck and closed the door. She turned the key in the ignition as Sesshomaru climbed in beside her. She held Kirei against her and looked straight ahead, saying nothing as they drove to the hospital in Lodge Grass. She wasn't sure what he was doing there, but his sudden appearance, she knew, was about to turn her carefully organized life upside down.

-----------------------------------

Kagome handed her daughter to one of the nurses as they walked in the door. The ambulance carrying her grandfather had arrived only minutes before. Kagome explained what had happened to the doctors, fearing that the weight of the horse had hurt Kirei inside. The doctors took Kirei into one of the examination rooms and left Kagome and Sesshomaru alone in the lobby.

Kagome thumbed through magazines in the lobby, trying to avoid conversation. She was a bundle of emotions just waiting to explode. She was lonely. She was confused. She was sad. She was angry, and most of all she was worried.

"When was she born?" Sesshomaru asked, trying to make conversation.

"May 1st, last year. She turned one yesterday." Kagome said bluntly, not looking at him. Kagome got up and told the nurse that she was going outside for some fresh air. Then she walked out the doors. Sesshomaru followed her.

"Why didn't you tell me, Kagome?" he asked as he grabbed her hand, forcing her to stop.

"Why didn't I tell you?" Kagome laughed angrily as she jerked her hand free. "I wrote you as soon as I found out I was pregnant. I wrote you when she was born. I sent you a card last Christmas and told you how much she had grown." Kagome was quickly losing her composure and beginning to visibly tremble. "I even came to see you at Christmas, but instead of letting you see your daughter, I got the honor of meeting that fucking whore that answered your door in next to nothing," she yelled at him. "Where have you been? I needed you," she cried as she turned away, placing her face in her hands.

"Kagome," he whispered as he reached out to stroke her hair, "I'm sorry…"

Kagome slapped his hand away when he touched her hair. "Don't. Just don't!"

"Kagome, I never got any of your letters. There wasn't anything from you in my mail. I didn't even know you were looking for me until Christmas. I swear it's the truth. And the girl who answered the door at my house is Inu's girlfriend, Kikyo." Then he added with a grin that made Kagome smile, "And yes, she is a whore."

Kagome snorted, "It figures."

"What's her name?"

"Kirei Arashi," she replied flatly.

"It's a good name."

"Why are you here, Sesshomaru?"

"I'm visiting my parents. They live in Busby, on the Cheyenne Reservation."

"Oh," Kagome said, seeming distant and obviously disappointed.

"Does your husband know that Kirei is mine?"

"Husband?" Kagome looked at him curiously. Then it dawned on her what he meant. "Oh, you mean Souta." She paused briefly before answering. "Yes, he knows...he's known from the beginning."

"Where are you living? I would like to come see her."

"We live on a ranch south of Heart Butte," she said.

Just about then, one of the doctors came outside. Kagome turned to him, expecting to hear bad news.

"She's fine," the doctor said as Kagome breathed a sigh of relief. "She's a little bruised though. I thought she might have some internal injuries, but we didn't find any. She's very lucky. If your grandfather had not taken the blows for her, she wouldn't have made it."

Nathan and Souta arrived just as Kagome was walking out the doors with Kirei, who was fast asleep in her arms. Sesshomaru touched Kirei's hair gently, before Kagome put her in the truck. Kagome turned to Sesshomaru. "Thank you for coming with me." she said. "We are going home after we pack up everything. You are welcome to come visit her, if you want." Sesshomaru noticed that Nathan grit his teeth at the invitation, but apparently Kagome didn't notice. Sesshomaru told himself that he would have to be careful. He was certain that her husband and his friend were not too happy about his sudden appearance. Nonetheless, it was obvious that Kirei was his daughter. One had only to look at her to see the resemblance. And whether they liked it or not, he intended to be part of her life.

Kagome was silent all the way home. Everyone was upset about the death of their grandfather, but aside from that, Nathan was unsettled by Sesshomaru's sudden appearance. It made him angry that he had the gall to show up after nearly two years. Kagome meant the world to Nathan. Kagome was his best friend. He was her confidant. He had been there for her from the very beginning. As far as he was concerned, Sesshomaru should leave and never show his face again; and if he had the balls to show up at the ranch, Nathan planned to tell him that.

_TBC..._

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	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer:** All characters pertaining to the show InuYasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi. I am not making any money from this...the only thing that I am getting out of this story is the satisfaction of knowing that other people enjoy my writing. All original characters are my creation and belong to me...as does the plot and storyline.

_**Chapter 22**_

Well, Sesshomaru did show up at the ranch, several weeks later on the first Monday of June, and Nathan was none too pleased about it. Kagome was out working in the garden when she heard him pull onto the driveway. Kirei was playing with Lakota a few feet away. Kagome didn't look up or signal to him. If he wanted to see them, he could walk out there to them. She continued planting seeds as he parked his bike next to her truck. Everyone else was already out in the pasture and had been since around seven that morning. Kirei waded through the watermelon vines chasing after a butterfly. Kagome laughed and scooped her up, kissing her rosy cheeks.

"I'll bet she takes a lot of patience," Sesshomaru said as he walked up to them.

"Yes, she does," Kagome replied as she returned to planting her okra seeds, never looking at him.

"She sure is beautiful. I think she takes after her mother."

Kagome shook her head, "She has your eyes."

"Can we go somewhere to talk?"

Kagome shook her head again saying "I have to finish planting the garden this morning. The earth doesn't stop turning for anyone. After I get finished with this, I need to ride out to the lake to pick dewberries for some medicine. I guess you can come along. Can you ride a horse?"

"Yeah, it's been a while though."

"Well, then help me finish planting," she said as she began hoeing the next row. "Oh and watch where you step," Kagome said as she brought the hoe down just behind Sesshomaru's foot. Sesshomaru jumped aside and looked at her like she was crazy. Kagome bent over and picked up the headless body of a baby rattlesnake. "The snakes like the melon patch." She tossed it into her basket and continued hoeing as if nothing had happened.

"Is it safe to let Kirei play out here?"

"Oh I keep an eye on her, but there isn't a better babysitter than Lakota there."

Sesshomaru watched as Lakota growled lowly. Kirei stopped in her tracks. Then suddenly the wolf/dog pounced and came back up with a snake in its mouth. It trotted over to Kagome and dropped it at her feet before returning to Kirei to play. Kirei didn't move until Lakota licked her cheek, telling her that it was ok. "What are you going to do with that?" Sesshomaru asked as he pointed to the dead snake.

"I'll use the skin to make a bracelet or something," she said, seemingly disinterested.

"Oh," Sesshomaru said as he bent to retrieve a hoe.

A couple of hours later, after they had finished planting, Kagome handed a basket of tomatoes to Sesshomaru. She picked up her tools and headed back to the house, followed by Sesshomaru and Lakota. Kirei waddled as fast as her little legs could carry her, and she didn't drop a single one of the tomatoes that she carried bundled in her pudgy little arms. Kagome invited Sesshomaru into the main house and instructed him to sit while she made a platter of sandwiches for lunch.

She looked at the clock on the wall. "They should be getting in for lunch any minute now," she told Sesshomaru. Sure enough, Sesshomaru saw two trucks pull up beside Kagome's. Nathan and Souta and six other Indian men came filing in the back door. Sesshomaru realized that he was taking up a needed chair, so he got up and went outside. The men all sat down at the table and quickly devoured everything in front of them. It was not long before they all began loading back into the trucks. As Nathan walked out the door, he looked at Sesshomaru and then turned around and went back inside. Through the open window, Sesshomaru could hear Kagome arguing with him.

"I don't want you going out alone with him," he heard Nathan say. "I don't trust him."

"Nathan. Sesshomaru isn't going to hurt either one of us, and besides, regardless of what anyone else wants, he has every right to spend time with his daughter."

"Why are you defending that son of a bitch after what he did to you?"

"Nathan," Kagome said flatly, "Drop it. I can handle it."

Nathan stalked out the door, scowling at Sesshomaru the entire way to the truck. As they disappeared behind the barn, Kagome walked outside, drying her hands with a towel. She draped it over a rail to dry. She looked at Sesshomaru and said, "He's very protective. He means well though."

She took Kirei's hand and Sesshomaru followed her to the other house. "This is our house," she said as she opened the door for him. "Have a seat. I need to change shirts before we go riding. I'll be right back down."

Kagome retreated up the stairs as Sesshomaru looked around. Kagome looked on from above as Kirei took his hand and led him around the house pointing at things. Kagome smiled to herself as she changed into her pigskin halter. She tugged on her knee-high moccasins and laced them up before heading back down stairs.

"It looks like Souta takes good care of you," Sesshomaru said as she came back downstairs.

"We get by. I don't have to worry about food. The garden provides plenty of vegetables and we have plenty of cattle. I make most of our clothes, so there isn't a lot to buy. We may live a simple life, but it's worth it. She's happy, and that's all that matters."

"Are _you_ happy?"

"I have been happier," Kagome answered his question as she walked out the door and headed for the barn. She went inside followed closely by Sesshomaru, who was carrying Kirei. He watched as she easily lifted saddles from their places and threw them onto the backs of the horses. He could see by the muscles she had developed that she had been working hard in the past year and a half. When they had met, she was nothing more than a young girl – fresh out of high school; but now, she was a strong, fully-grown woman, and that made her even more attractive. She led the horses from their stalls and took them outside, closing the barn doors behind her.

Kagome tied two baskets together with a short rope, filled them with rocks and then draped them over the backside of her horse. She placed her rifle in its sheath on the side of the saddle. Then she strapped her bow and a quiver of arrows to her back. She took Kirei from Sesshomaru's arms and placed her on her horse. "Sit still, baby girl," she instructed her daughter softly as Kagome climbed up behind her. She turned and waited for Sesshomaru to mount up.

-----------------------

They rode out near the garden and headed west toward the forest. Sesshomaru looked at Kagome as the mid-day sun shone down on her. She was still as beautiful as the first day he had seen her. Her breasts had filled out some and she had developed well-toned muscles, but other than that, she not changed physically. Then he looked at Kirei. She looked just like her mother, except for her eyes and the silver strands that were working their way into her hair. She had gotten those from him. There was no doubt in that. Sesshomaru thought back to the night they had spent together back South Dakota. It was hard for him to believe that Kirei was the result of his lack of patience and control.

"Wait," Kagome commanded as they entered the woods. Sesshomaru watched as Lakota growled at something on the ground, but he couldn't see what. Kagome took a rock from one of her baskets and tossed it. It landed on a buried spring trap, sending it snapping into the air. Kagome climbed down from her horse and carefully walked toward it. She grabbed the chain and pulled it from the ground. She tossed the trap into one of the baskets and then grabbed the reins of her horse, leading it slowly through the trees. Sesshomaru followed suit and dismounted. They led the horses carefully along the path; stopping each time Lakota discovered a trap.

Finally they reached the lake. Kagome took Kirei from the horse and put her down. She tethered the horses to a fallen tree near the water.

"Where did those traps come from?" he asked as she emptied one of the baskets of its contents and removed the rope.

"I don't know who keeps setting them. The damned things are everywhere. You have to be careful when you're out riding. We've had to put down several cows since February because of them."

"How long had this been going on?"

"Since right after I got here, I guess. It didn't used to be this bad. It used be only finding shot animals every now and then, but now it has gotten worse. Whoever it is that is doing this is really sick. I think maybe it's one of those two guys who raped and killed Sango."

"No, they are both in prison. I know that for a fact."

"That's a relief, but I don't know who else it could be."

"Is that why you carry a gun?"

"No. I carry a gun because we have a problem with mountain lions and wild pigs. I carry the bow because I like to hunt with it." Kagome picked up the basket and the rope and walked over to a group of vines with little purple berries on them. She returned for her rifle. She tied one end of the rope to a tree and the other around Kirei's waist. Then she sat down and began picking berries. Sesshomaru sat down beside her and immediately pricked his fingers on the thorns.

"Thorny little bastards, but they're worth the hassle," she laughed. "Have you ever tasted dewberries?"

Sesshomaru shook his head.

Kagome plucked a big, fat, juicy berry from the bush and placed it against his lips. He gently bit into it, filling his mouth with its juice. "Mmm," he said, "it's sweet. I see what you mean."

"I'll be back later in the week to pick the rest of them. I'll make jam out of some. I'll use the juices to make dyes with. And of course I'll freeze some to use during the winter. Kirei really likes them, too. That's one of the reasons she is over there. The last time I brought her here, she ate them as fast as I could pick them." Kagome turned her head to look at Kirei and laughed. She had managed to reach one of the berry bushes and her face was covered with purple stains. Kagome scooted over to her daughter and hugged her, kissing her face and tickling her. "You are just so delicious," she said as she held her to the ground tickling her. Kirei giggled loudly and it was a sound that melted Sesshomaru's heart. Right then he knew that he had to do whatever it would take to win them back. _'But what about Souta? Is she happy?_ _Is there any room left for me?_'

_TBC..._

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	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer:** All characters pertaining to the show InuYasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi. I am not making any money from this...the only thing that I am getting out of this story is the satisfaction of knowing that other people enjoy my writing. All original characters are my creation and belong to me...as does the plot and storyline.

_**Chapter 23**_

Kagome turned back around and continued picking the berries. After a while, she stopped to eat a few. Kagome's fingers were wet with the juice and she dropped a really big one in her lap. Sesshomaru picked it up and placed it against her lips. Sesshomaru watched her lips as she wrapped them around it and ever so gently bit into it. He leaned forward to kiss her instinctively. He pressed his lips against hers, but she pulled away from him. "Sesshomaru don't," she pleaded as she looked away. "I can't do this. I can't handle being hurt again."

"Kagome, I didn't mean to hurt you. Not a day has passed that..."

Kagome jerked her head towards Kirei and Lakota. Lakota was growling lowly, crouched in a protective stance in front of Kirei. Kagome motioned for Sesshomaru to be silent and looked over at Kirei, who was sitting completely motionless behind Lakota. She got up on her knees and picked up her rifle. Sesshomaru listened. At first all he could hear was the wind in the trees, but after a minute, he heard the low, guttural growl of a large cat. Kagome put a hand to her ear and listened. She pointed to the horses, which were twitching their tails nervously. Sesshomaru nodded. Then Kagome pointed to a large rock ledge a good ways off to the east. Sesshomaru looked carefully and could see a large cat crouched lowly on a small ledge. It must have been over a hundred feet away, but Kagome aimed with perfect accuracy, dropping it with one shot.

Kagome climbed up the ledge to look at it, rifle in hand. Sesshomaru picked up Kirei and waited. Kagome had shot it in the heart. He watched as she checked for a pulse, and finding none pushed the cat over the ledge. He looked at the big golden cat as it landed in a heap near them. Kagome came back down and carefully dragged it over to the horses.

"You're going to have to hold Kirei, Sesshomaru. You'll also have to carry the baskets with you. Your horse won't carry the cat, so I'll have to. Mine is used to it," she said as she used the rope and a tree for leverage to load the cat onto her horse's saddle. "This cat has been killing our sheep for almost a year now." She pointed out where it had been blasted with buckshot several times. "We need to get back. It's starting to get late. They will start getting worried if I'm not back before dark."

Nathan and Souta were in the barnyard when they arrived back at the ranch, just before dark. She sidled up to them and told them what had happened. They took the cat from her horse and carried it into one of the small buildings. Sesshomaru guessed that they would skin it and cut it up. Kagome would use the pelt for leather and they would add the meat to the freezer. He had never eaten anything from the wild before, so the idea was strange to him, but it didn't seem to bother them at all.

Kagome and Sesshomaru put away the horses. Sesshomaru held Kirei while Kagome locked up the chicken coop and checked for eggs. Then she took Kirei from his arms and headed into the main house. Sesshomaru got on his bike and prepared to leave, but Kagome stopped him, much to Nathan's dismay. "Listen, why don't you stay the night? It's getting late. There's no reason for you to ride halfway across Montana in the dark. We're fixing to start supper. There's plenty of food and the couch is comfortable enough."

"I don't know. I don't think I'm too welcome here."

Kagome turned and looked at Nathan and Souta with a scowl on her face that could have melted the polar ice caps. Nathan and Souta both looked down like scolded puppies. They turned and went inside. "My brother and Nathan are just trying to look out for me, that's all."

"Your brother? Souta is your brother?"

"Yeah, they are both really great guys, once you get past all that macho crap. Anyway, I don't care what they think. You can leave first thing in the morning."

"Oh, ok," he agreed as he got off his bike. Sesshomaru was relieved to hear that Souta was her brother – and not her husband. He followed her into the kitchen where Kirei was on her hands and knees drinking from Lakota's water bowl. Kagome scooped her up and sat her on the counter. Kagome handed her a carrot stick to munch on while she tenderized the steaks. "Souta," she shouted, "go and start the grill."

--------------------------------

After supper was finished, Kagome cleaned the dishes while Souta and Nathan showered. Sesshomaru went outside and sat down at a picnic table that sat under a large tree between the two houses. Souta joined him about twenty minutes later.

"She still loves you, you know," Souta said as he sat down.

"Does she?" Sesshomaru asked. "She certainly doesn't act like it."

"She does. You gotta understand that it tore her up inside, not hearing from you, but she's never stopped loving you. It broke her heart when we went down to Arizona at Christmas and that girl answered your door. Kagome wouldn't say anything the entire trip home. It has taken us a while to get her to where she is now. That little girl is what keeps her going. And every time she looks at Kirei, she sees you. She's afraid of getting hurt again. I don't know or care what kept you away, but I'm asking you man to man – please don't put her through that again. If you are going to go back to Arizona, do it now, before she gets used to the idea of you being around."

"If you hurt Kagome again," Nathan said as he walked up behind them, "I'll hunt you down."

"What?" Sesshomaru asked, taken aback by the obvious threat, stood up to face him.

"You heard me," Nathan fumed as he got in Sesshomaru's face. "I ain't going to stand here and watch you destroy her life – again. You don't have a clue about how hard it has been for her. She feels like you abandoned her. If you had come back for her in the first place, she would have gone with you, but now I don't know. You have no idea of the pain she's been carrying around all this time. I can't count how many times I have lain awake on her couch and listened to her cry herself to sleep. She doesn't deserve that. She deserves better."

Sesshomaru got in Nathan's face. "I love Kagome. Not a day's gone by all this time that I didn't think about her."

"Then where were you?" Nathan asked bluntly.

"You have no idea what I went through for her. I went to **prison** for her." Sesshomaru saw the look on Nathan's face. "Yeah, prison. I got convicted for the crime she was accused of. I took that gun from her to protect her. Then I got busted with it in Arizona. I got sentenced to forty years in the pen because I loved her enough to keep my mouth shut. I sacrificed my freedom for hers."

"If you got sentenced to forty years, what are you doing here?" Souta asked.

"Back in January, my friend Miroku found the guys who murdered and raped Sango Randall. The police got one of them to confess and they found out that they had also killed Rose Crawford. They let me out. I ended up getting a lawyer and filing suit against the justice system, but they settled out of court. I started looking for her as soon as I got out, but all my leads turned up empty. Now that I've found her, I'm going to do whatever it takes to keep her. So you," he said as her jabbed his finger at Nathan, "can get off my fucking case about it."

"Look man," Nathan apologized, "I guess I had you pegged wrong. I'm sorry. I guess that it has just eaten away at me, knowing that she could never be mine because she still loves you. She doesn't let on, but she's lonely. When I first came around, she always talked to me, but she keeps more and more to herself all the time. She won't admit it, but she needs you. Kirei needs you. I don't want that little girl to grow up without a daddy."

"Neither do I. My parents have been nagging me to move up here for years, and now I have a reason to. I never meant to hurt her. If I had gotten even one of her letters, I would have contacted her a long time ago. My brother, Inu, has a girlfriend named Kikyo. That's who answered the door on Christmas Day. She has been living there ever since I went to prison. She probably trashed all of the letters. She's been trying to sink her teeth into me for years, but I ain't interested. She's such a whore, and now that I have some money, she's really hot to get at me."

"Well Kagome doesn't care about money. You've seen the way she lives. She chooses to live that way. She has money of her own. She had done pretty well for herself with her business, but she won't spend it. She says that she's saving it for Kirei."

Souta bid them both 'good-night' and retreated into the house. Nathan offered Sesshomaru a beer, but Sesshomaru declined. Souta came back outside carrying Kirei. "Where's Kagome?" he asked. "She's not in the house. The lights are off at her house."

"She's probably up in the hayloft. That's where she goes when she is upset," Nathan said.

Sesshomaru got up and headed to the barn. He silently opened a door and went inside, heading directly to the ladder. The only light was the light of the moon, and it made it hard to see. When he reached the top, he saw Kagome sitting in one corner, hugging her knees to her chest and crying. Sesshomaru walked over to her and sat down. He tried to embrace her, but she pulled away. Sesshomaru tried to embrace her again, but again she pulled away. Kagome got up and headed for the ladder, but Sesshomaru anticipated that move and cut her off, catching her in his arms and not letting go. She cried as she thrashed about wildly, trying to free herself, finally resorting to pounding her fists against his chest. Sesshomaru stood there and let her pound away, letting her vent her frustration. She finally stopped, waiting for him to release her, and the moment he loosened his grip, she headed for the ladder. Sesshomaru grabbed her hand and spun her around, grabbing her by the waist. He pulled her to him and caressed her face. "Kagome, I never meant to hurt you." Sesshomaru released her, and instead of bolting, she collapsed to the floor and sobbed as he put his arm around her.

"I've been so horrible to you," she sobbed.

"You're only doing what is natural, trying to protect yourself. When you get hurt once, it's instinct that tells you not to risk it again. That's all. I don't blame you for that."

"I feel horrible about the way I have acted. This afternoon, I pushed you away when all I really wanted was to kiss you again," she cried.

Sesshomaru leaned forward and placed his lips on hers, "It's not too late, is it?" he whispered as he kissed her tenderly.

"I don't know," she whispered, shaking.

He pulled her closer to him as he kissed her tenderly. He ran his hand up her back and hugged her to him. He caressed her face and wiped the tears from it. Instinctively, he his hand roamed to her breast. He felt it harden beneath his touch. Then he pulled away from her.

"No. Not yet," he said, "This isn't right. I won't make the same mistake twice. I'll wait this time. I won't take advantage of you again," he said as he walked to the ladder and climbed down, leaving Kagome in the hayloft. He walked over to Nathan, who was still sitting at the table. Lakota began to whine, anticipating something. Then, as Kagome walked toward them, from just beyond the barnyard, wolves began howling – one, then another, and another. It sounded like there were dozens of them. Lakota threw back his head and howled. Kagome smiled, because that was the first time she had ever heard him howl, and it was a beautiful sound. Kagome picked up Kirei and she giggled pulling at the beads on her mother's necklace. Kagome kissed her on the forehead and smiled. Then she bid them 'good night' and went to tuck Kirei into bed.

Kagome walked into her house and turned on the lights. She went upstairs and turned down her bed and laid Kirei in her crib. She heard the front door open and close. "Sesshomaru, is that you?"

"Yeah. I came to tuck her in," he said as he came up the stairs. He leaned over the bed and kissed Kirei on her cheek. Kirei cooed and grabbed a handful of his hair.

"Iie, no," Kagome gently scolded as she pulled the hair loose from her hand. "Don't pull hair." Kirei appeared to understand, because she continued to play with it, but she didn't pull it again.

"I'm going to go downstairs and get some sleep," he said. I've got to leave early in the morning." He turned and retreated down the stairs, flopping onto the couch.

Kagome came downstairs and went into her sewing room. She grabbed a quilt from the rack where she put her finished work. Then she walked back into the living room. Sesshomaru was lying on the couch with his eyes closed, but she knew he wasn't asleep. She silently crept up beside him and covered him with the quilt. He opened his eyes and grabbed her hand as she turned to go upstairs.

"Kagome, come here."

Kagome sat down on the couch beside him. He tried to pull her close, but she moved away.

"This quilt is beautiful, did you make it?"

"Yeah. I have quite a few of them. I sell them at my store in Heart Butte. I actually made this one to give to you as a Christmas present, but when that girl answered your door, I got so pissed that I said 'fuck it'."

"I'm sorry about that," he apologized.

"It's ok. It's yours. You can keep it. Sesshomaru looked at the pattern carefully. It was a picture of the place they had spent the night at in the Black Hills National Forest – the place where Kirei was conceived – complete with falling stars.

"Thank you, but I think I'll keep it here. I plan on spending a lot of time here."

"Is that a fact?" Kagome said cockily.

"That's a fact," Sesshomaru said.

"Yeah, well. We'll see, won't we?" she said as she turned and retreated upstairs.

Kagome tossed and turned all night long. It took her forever to get to sleep, and when she finally did, it was no help. Kagome woke up short of breath at around midnight. Lakota picked up his head and looked at her as she walked down stairs. She looked out the window next to the front door, but all was calm. She looked out the kitchen window. Everything was ok there too. She walked back upstairs and looked down on Sesshomaru, who was lying silently on the couch. She smiled to herself. He was still as handsome as he had been the day they met. Sesshomaru looked up at her, not saying a word.

Kagome went back to sleep, but again she tossed and turned. She whined and moaned as if she was being hit upon. Lakota padded downstairs and nudged his nose under Sesshomaru's hand, waking him. Upon hearing her, Sesshomaru went quickly upstairs, to find Kagome talking in her sleep. He put his hand against her forehead, checking for a temperature, but he found none. "Don't you touch her…No...You'll die first you fucking bastard….Sango, I'm so sorry," Kagome mumbled in her sleep. Sesshomaru sat down on the bed beside her, resting his hand on her cheek. She responded by pressing her face against it. Sesshomaru decided to lie down with her. He removed his shirt and climbed into bed with her, covering them with one of her quilts. Kagome snuggled up against him instinctively. Sesshomaru draped him arm over her naked body and smiled. "This feels so right," he thought as Kagome turned to face him, pressing her cheek against his warm chest. She wrapped her arm around his waist. "I love you," she mumbled as she snuggled closer, her eyes never opening. "I love you too, Kagome," he said as he fell asleep.

_TBC..._

---------------------------------------

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	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer:** All characters pertaining to the show InuYasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi. I am not making any money from this...the only thing that I am getting out of this story is the satisfaction of knowing that other people enjoy my writing. All original characters are my creation and belong to me...as does the plot and storyline.

_**Chapter 24**_

When Sesshomaru woke the just before dawn following morning, Kagome was gone. Kirei still asleep in her bed, but Kagome was nowhere to be found. Lakota was missing as well. He picked Kirei up out of her bed and changed her diaper. Then he carried her with him to the main house. Souta and Nathan were sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee. Sesshomaru sat Kirei in a chair and grabbed a cup of coffee.

"Where's Kagome?" Sesshomaru asked.

"She's probably out gathering herbs in the garden," Nathan said.

"I'll go find her," Sesshomaru said as he exited through the back door.

Sesshomaru spotted her in the garden, although how he spotted her was a mystery because she sat sitting on her knees in a patch of rosemary that was way past the top of her head. He silently crept up beside her, prepared to surprise her. Or, at least, he thought he was going to surprise her.

"Ohayo, Sesshomaru," she said before he ever got near her.

"'Morning," he said. "How did you know I was here?"

"I heard you coming before you ever got to the garden. When you live out here long enough, you get to where you notice every little noise. Hand me that hoe, there is a rattlesnake three rows over." Sesshomaru handed her the hoe and listened. He didn't hear the telltale rattle, but he did hear the scraping of its scales as it slithered across the muskmelon vines. He shook his head, amazed that she was so alert.

Sesshomaru leaned over and tried to kiss her, but she got up and headed back to the house. He caught up to her.

"What's wrong, Kagome?" he asked.

"Nothing."

"You never were a good liar, now talk to me."

"There's nothing to say."

"Why are you acting like this?"

"Because, when I woke up in your arms this morning, I realized that that is exactly what I wanted. It's also what I can't have. You show back up after nearly two fucking years, acting like everything's ok. Well, it's not. You abandoned me, and I'm not going to set myself up to get hurt again, Sesshomaru. What's going to happen when you go back to Arizona? I'm not leaving. I hated it down there, and I'm **not** taking her down there. I want her to grow up **here**, connected to the land – where she wound be ridiculed for having mixed blood. I have worked too hard to get where I am now to let it just fly out the window like it was nothing. I've spent the last twenty-one months turning my head every time I heard a motorcycle, praying that it was you. It has been so hard to keep going. You said that you would do anything for me, but when I needed you the most, you weren't there. I love you with all my heart, Sesshomaru, but I'm not leaving. That's why I am not going to let myself get too close to you again. I want to, with all my soul, Sesshomaru…but I can't." Kagome went into the kitchen and grabbed Kirei from her chair. She took the biscuits from the oven, set them on the table, and walked back out the door. "I'm going riding, Souta. I'll be back later," she said as she slammed the door and disappeared.

--------------------------------

Sesshomaru watched as Kagome quickly saddled her big roan horse and rode out toward the lake with Kirei in front of her. Souta looked at Sesshomaru as if asking what had happened. Sesshomaru poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down at the table. Nathan handed him a plate of biscuits and gravy. Sesshomaru silently accepted.

"What happened?" Souta asked.

"I don't know what to do," Sesshomaru said as he began to eat. "She won't let me get close to her. Every time I try to talk to her, she runs away."

"She's just afraid you're going to leave again. She's been through a lot in the past two years. She was devastated when she didn't hear from you. It has taken her a long time to learn to deal with that. She's never gotten over it, but she's learned to deal with it."

"I'm kind of at a loss here. I have to go back to Arizona to take care of some legal business. I have to sell my house and close out my bank accounts. But I don't want her to think I'm leaving her again. I can't bring myself to tell her where I was all that time. I know her well enough to know that she'll blame herself."

"You're right. She probably would. That's why I haven't said anything to her, but the ranch is going under. I took out a loan against the ranch to build her that house and buy some new equipment. But things have been a whole lot slower than normal this year, and I haven't been able to make a payment in several months. It's going to hurt her if we lose it."

"How much was the loan for?"

"Twenty-two thousand dollars. If I don't make up the late payments soon, the bank is going to take the ranch. I don't have the heart to tell her."

"I think I see a way to get us both out of trouble," Sesshomaru said as he leaned over the table, "But you have to promise not to tell Kagome."

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Sesshomaru was gone when Kagome came back that afternoon. Souta, Nathan and the others were working in the horse corral, trying to break a new horse. Kagome put away her horse and went into the house. She sat Kirei in a chair and began to prepare supper. She was certain that she had been right in not trusting Sesshomaru this time around. After all, he had not come to Montana to find them; he had come to visit his parents. Running into them had just been a freak accident. Kagome had known that this would happen. She had known that eventually he would have to go back to Arizona. She would not go back there. She had known not to get her hopes up. Kagome knew she would get hurt again if she got involved with Sesshomaru. She guessed that it was a relationship that was not meant to be. She thought that it must be her destiny to be alone.

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Kagome received a letter from Sesshomaru, the following week. He said that he would be back to visit them in a few weeks. He sent his love to them, he also sent some money to Kagome to help pay for diapers and stuff. Kagome was surprised to hear anything from him. She was certainly not going to get her hopes up about him returning to them. She wrote him a letter back that read:

_Sesshomaru –_

_I appreciate the letter, but I understand if you don't want to come around again. I have not been exactly nice or civil to you, after all. Please don't feel obligated to send any more money to take care of Kirei. She is my responsibility. I understand that it must have come as a bit of a shock when you ran into us at that pow-wow. I understand completely if you don't want to be tied down with a kid. It was not my intention either, but that was the way things turned out. Nonetheless, I don't regret it. I really wish that things could have turned out differently between us. _

_Sincerely,_

_Kagome Gray-Eagle_

_P.S. – For whatever it's worth, you were the best thing that ever happened to me. I won't forget you. _

Kagome's heart felt as if it were being ripped from her chest as she signed the letter. Her tears splattered across the page, smearing her words and betraying her true feelings. She sealed the envelope and set it on the table to be mailed with the rest of the bills.

But as Kagome placed her letter with the rest of the outgoing mail, an envelope from the bank in Billings caught her attention. It had bright red letters on it that read 'final notice'. Kagome picked it up and opened it. She discovered that Souta had taken out a loan against the ranch and had not made a payment in six months. The letter also read that if he didn't catch up his past due balance by the end of June, they were going to take the ranch from him.

Kagome marched out to the stable where Souta and Nathan were working with one of the horses. She walked up to him and shoved the letter into his chest. "What is this?"

"It's nothing, don't worry about it," Souta replied casually, never taking his eyes from the horse.

"Bullshit. How could you keep something like this from me?"

"Because I didn't want to worry you over nothing."

"I don't call losing the ranch nothing."

"We aren't going to lose the ranch. It's being taken care of. My business partner is handling it."

"You didn't tell me that you had a business partner."

"Don't worry about it. We aren't going to lose anything, now get out of here. You're scaring the horse."

Kagome did as she was told, although she could tell by the look on Nathan's face that they were hiding something. Kagome kept it to herself and went to her chores.

-----------------------------------

The end of June came and went, with no word from Sesshomaru. Kagome was not surprised. She was disappointed, but not surprised. There were no more nasty letters from the bank. Apparently, Souta had been telling the truth about it, so Kagome was glad to see that they weren't going to lose the ranch after all. Souta had purchased several new horses in the past month. He had also made many improvements. The ranch had also grown in size. Souta's business partner had purchased an additional 20,000 acres from the state of Montana, expanding the property lines so that they owned everything between the Blackfeet Indian Reservation and the Lewis and Clark National Forest, including most of the lake, and all of the property on the other side of it, up to the boundaries of the National Forest.

Kagome soon found out that to get to the property on other side of the lake, it was necessary to go all the way around the lake and into the National Forest and then cut back northwest along the lakeshore, unless you went by boat. Once she finally managed to reach it, she decided that it was definitely worth the trip. She found a section of the shore that was as close to paradise as she thought she could get. The fishing there was great, and there was an abundance of big game, including moose and deer. Kagome also saw bear tracks, cat tracks, and wolf prints, so she never went there unarmed, or without Lakota.

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August came around and so did the beginning of harvest time. Kagome worked vigorously in her garden. There had been an abundance of rain that year, thus increasing the crop yield. In the end, Souta had to purchase another freezer to put everything in. Kagome gave quite a bit to the reservation, and still had plenty for her own freezer. The elders told her that it was going to be an extremely rough winter and that they appreciated her gifts. She also had an overabundance of eggs. Her flock of chickens had more than doubled in the past year and a half to more than a hundred hens. That was more than the guys could possibly eat. Of course, they killed the extra roosters and put them in the freezer, but she was picking up more than six-dozen eggs a day at times, so she gave the extras to the people on the reservation as well.

After the first harvest was done, Kagome began to go riding on the other side of the lake. It bothered Souta that she would be gone until well after dark. She never told him where she was going and she always took Kirei with her. She would leave as soon as her chores were finished, and she would not return until late in the night. Souta was worried that whoever was setting those traps would find her. He was also worried that she might walk her horse right into one of them without even knowing it, and because he didn't know where she was going, he wouldn't be able to find them. Kagome dismissed him with a wave of her hand. She finally told him about her spot on the other side of the lake and that she went there to think because it was so peaceful. She promised that she would be careful, but Souta still worried.

Kagome spent quite a lot of time over at the lake. Kirei like to play in the water with her. Kagome liked to swim naked in the lake, letting the cool, fresh water caress her like a lover's hands. The water was clear enough in the area where she swam for her to see the limestone bottom. She could see many different kinds of fish, but her favorite was the blue channel catfish.

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September rolled around, and there still had been no word from Sesshomaru. Souta went into Billings more often, leaving the work to be done by Craig and the others. Souta told Kagome that he was meeting with their partner to discuss business. Kagome suspected that Souta had found himself a girlfriend, but she knew better than to ask. Nathan kept his mouth shut about the whole situation, saying that whatever he was doing was his own business. Kagome went about her business as usual. Nathan knew what was going on, but he had been asked not to say anything to Kagome.

_TBC..._

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	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer:** All characters pertaining to the show InuYasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi. I am not making any money from this...the only thing that I am getting out of this story is the satisfaction of knowing that other people enjoy my writing. All original characters are my creation and belong to me...as does the plot and storyline.

**A/N: This chapter contains slight LEMONY goodness. I will not mark it further**.

_**Chapter 25**_

One morning in mid-September, the fall equinox, Kagome took Kirei and went to the lake. Later in the morning, Sesshomaru roared down the driveway with Miroku right behind him. Inu followed them, driving a truck filled with Sesshomaru's things and Inu's bike. Sesshomaru saddled up a horse and headed for the lake, leaving everyone else to talk.

Sesshomaru made his way around the lake, scanning the shoreline for any sign of Kagome and Kirei. When he finally spotted them, Kagome was swimming naked. Kirei was taking a nap on a quilt. Lakota was curled up next to her, ever watchful. Sesshomaru approached quietly as she dove beneath the water, tying his horse to a tree. He took her horse and led it away into the trees, out of her sight. He had made up his mind that he was going to corner her and make her listen to what he had to say, then if she wanted to call it quits, he would leave. That was her option, but she would hear him out – come hell of high water. He wasn't going to give her the chance to run before he had said what he needed to say, and though he knew that telling her the truth was going to hurt her, he saw no other way to make her see how much he cared.

Sesshomaru stripped down and got in the water with her, waiting for her to surface again. Kagome popped her head out of the water only inches from Sesshomaru's chest. She was so surprised that she almost screamed. She made her way to the shore, and headed to the quilt to get her clothes, but Sesshomaru grabbed her and pinned her to the ground. Kagome struggled, but Sesshomaru held her down.

"You are going to listen to what I have to say, whether you like it or not," he told her. "I never meant to hurt you. There's a lot I want to tell you, but I don't know where to start."

"Let me go, Sesshomaru," she ordered.

"Iie," he replied flatly. "You are going to hear me out. You aren't the only one who has suffered. I never abandoned you. I would never do that. You're everything to me. You asked why I didn't come for you. I was in prison."

Kagome stopped struggling and looked at him, not knowing what to think.

"I went to prison, for you. I got arrested with that gun I took from you. It was the same gun used to kill Rose Crawford. I was charged and convicted for killing both her and Sango. I couldn't let them lock you up, even if it meant sacrificing my own freedom, so I kept my mouth shut. I couldn't bring myself to tell you because I didn't want you to blame yourself. I came looking for you as soon as I got out, but I couldn't find you. I thought about you every single day. When I finally found you, I wanted to hold you so bad that it hurt. Then when I saw you with Kirei, I thought you had gotten married and started a family. It nearly killed me. You have no idea how relieved I was when I found out that Kirei was mine; that you had not found someone else. All I have thought about since then is how I can keep you. That's why I'm here. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, if you'll let me." Sesshomaru looked into Kagome's eyes. They were flooded with tears. "I'm sorry I hurt you. It was not my intention."

"I'm so sorry," Kagome sobbed as she looked away, shame evident on her face.

Kagome relaxed against him and cried. She was ashamed for the way she had treated him. She had accused him of abandoning her, but in reality, he had been protecting her. He had come back for her. Sesshomaru kissed her cheeks and then helped her to her feet. He took her hand and led her to the quilt and retrieved a small box from the pocket of his jacket. He led her to the edge of the trees, away from Kirei, who was still sleeping soundly. Kagome leaned up against the tree. Sesshomaru opened the box and held it out to her. Kagome looked at the rings inside. One was a plain, sterling silver band. Next to it was one with a small diamond, surrounded by two sterling silver feathers. Kagome looked up at him, speechless and with her eyes filled by tears. "Kagome, will you marry me? Will you be mine, forever?"

"Yes," she whispered as she leaned forward to kiss him. Sesshomaru slipped the plain ring onto her finger as he kissed her. Then he smiled mischievously.

"Now you're mine, and I can do whatever I want to you," he whispered huskily as he pressed her against the tree.

"Is that a fact?" she challenged him.

"It is," he said as he pressed his lips into the hollow of her throat.

Kagome's breath caught in her throat as he teased her neck with his tongue. Then Kagome quickly stepped aside and turned away. "You'll have to catch me first," she said as she took off running through the trees, making sure she didn't stray too far from Kirei.

Sesshomaru gave chase, darting quickly between the trees, knowing that she wanted to be caught. He almost caught her, but she dodged his hand on her arm and headed out to the water. He followed her and quickly caught her as she ran into the water. He dragged her to the ground, but she managed to get free and headed back to the trees. Sesshomaru pinned her to a tree using his body weight to hold her. He grabbed a handful of her hair and pulled her head back to reveal her throat. He kissed her neck and then he forcefully kissed her, urging her to respond.

Kagome had wanted that kiss for so long, that it seemed like an eternity. She opened her mouth and kissed him back, just as forcefully. Sesshomaru groaned as she pressed her body against him, her belly rubbing against his groin. She grabbed his hair and pulled it free of its braid wrapping it around her fist and pressing his mouth to hers fiercely. Sesshomaru caressed one of her breasts with his hand. Then he put his hands around her waist and lifted her still holding her to the tree. Kagome instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist and she gasped as he slid her down onto him. She took the entire length of him into her, doing all but screaming as it stabbed repeatedly against her insides. They both quickly found release and collapsed together against the tree.

------------------------

"You are the only one I've ever been with," Kagome said. She leaned up on one elbow and looked into his eyes as they lay on the quilt next to Kirei sometime later.

"I can tell," he replied as he stroked her face with his hand. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"No. It's just been so long since…"

"I remember," he smiled as Kagome blushed. "Come here," he said as he pulled her down to him. He rubbed his fingers along the necklace he had given her over two years ago.

"I've never taken it off," she said thoughtfully.

"It suits you."

Kagome kissed him tenderly as he stroked her hair. Kirei giggled and crawled on top of them. Kagome and Sesshomaru laughed as she poked her face between them. Kagome sat up and gave her some of the berries she had spent all morning harvesting. Kirei smiled and shoved them into her mouth. Sesshomaru picked up a few of the berries thoughtfully and smiled slyly at Kagome. Then he popped one into his mouth. Kagome ate a few of them before getting into the water again. Sesshomaru picked up Kirei and waded into the water. Kirei paddled over to Kagome and wrapped her arms around her mother's neck. Sesshomaru smiled adoringly as she paddled back over to him.

"Dada," Kirei said as she latched onto Sesshomaru's neck. Sesshomaru's face lit up.

Kagome smiled as Kirei hugged Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru almost looked like he was going to cry. Kagome splashed water on them, and a furious splash fight ensued. Finally Kirei began to yawn and rub her eyes. Kagome took her from Sesshomaru and carried her to shore. Kirei snuggled up next to Lakota, who only raised his head briefly before returning to his nap. Kagome tugged on her jeans and boots.

"It's getting late," she said as she began to gather her things. "We should be heading back. It will be well past dark when we get back to the ranch."

"Don't worry about it. We'll just camp here tonight and head back in the morning."

"What about food? Kirei will need something to eat when she wakes up."

"There's food in the pack on my horse. I came prepared."

"Aren't _you_ special?"

"No. You are."

"Come on," she motioned for him to follow. "We need to gather wood for a fire before it starts getting dark."

"You lead the way."

They gathered wood and got a decent fire going. Kagome snacked on some of the blueberries she had discovered earlier in the day. Sesshomaru sat next to her. She placed one of the berries against his lips for him to eat. He did the same to her. He leaned forward and placed his lips against hers tenderly, sucking the berry juice from her mouth. Kagome pulled away as her heart began to race in her chest. Sesshomaru let her go as she stood up and turned away, looking to the ground.

"What's wrong?" Sesshomaru asked as he stood to join her.

"It's just…well, I don't know how to explain it, but I feel like I'm losing control. It scares me. I feel like I'm falling out of control."

"Don't worry. I'll be there to catch you, always," he said as he kissed her bare shoulder. "I'll never leave you again." He kissed the back of her neck as he untied her halter, letting it fall to the ground and exposing her perfect breasts. "Kagome," he whispered as he kissed her breasts tenderly, "don't fight it. Stop being so stubborn and let yourself go."

Sesshomaru knelt in front of Kagome. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him closer until his face rested against her belly. She moaned as he unbuttoned her jeans and kissed her womb. Her knees went weak, but he didn't let her fall, just as he promised. He pulled her down to him in the fading sunset. "Let me make love to you," he whispered huskily as he laid down beside her. Kagome pulled his face to hers, kissing his cheek as she hugged him closer. Sesshomaru moved himself lower and kissed her breasts tenderly, making Kagome's head spin with pleasure – feeling that she had almost forgotten. Then he kissed a trail down to her belly. Kagome fought hard to keep her hands to herself as he slipped his tongue inside of her, gently sucking on her clitoris. She squirmed wildly as his tongue probed her inner recesses, but he held her down. "I have missed you so much," he whispered as he came back up to kiss her. She could taste herself in his mouth, and it sent a rush of heat to her core. Kagome's slipped her hand down around him as they kissed, causing Sesshomaru to tremble. She touched the tip of it with her finger and found it wet and sticky. Kagome moved her hand back up to caress his face as he moved atop of her. He put one hand beneath her thigh and lifted her leg while he kissed her. Sesshomaru slowly entered her, easing his way in, amazed that she was almost as tight as she had been on their first night together.

Kagome gasped as he thrust his length into her slowly. She wanted all of him, but he would not give it to her, yet. He wanted to take his time. Kagome wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him down to her. She kissed him tenderly as he gently moved with her. He held her to him as she twined her fingers through his hair. He kissed her ear and her neck. She breathed heavily against his cheek as a thought occurred to her. '_This is so right.'_

Sesshomaru made up for their time apart, making love to her into the early hours of the morning. He spent hours reacquainting himself with her body, and she did the same to him. Kagome finally felt complete, and for the first time in two years...she went to sleep with a smile on her face.

_TBC..._

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	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer:** All characters pertaining to the show InuYasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi. I am not making any money from this...the only thing that I am getting out of this story is the satisfaction of knowing that other people enjoy my writing. All original characters are my creation and belong to me...as does the plot and storyline.

**A/N: **This chapter contains a tiny** lemon **at the beginning; though it is not very detailed...I will not mark it further.

_**Chapter 26**_

The frost outside had covered everything with a shimmering blanket of white. The moon was beginning to rise over the mountains to the east. Kagome stood silently in the kitchen rinsing a batch of blackberries that she had taken form the freezer earlier in the day. The pie crusts were already made and ready to be filled. Sesshomaru and Kirei were over at the main house visiting with Sesshomaru's parents and sister, who were meeting Kirei for the first time. Kagome had not met them yet, and she was very nervous. She worried that they wouldn't like her. Sesshomaru had told her repeatedly that it didn't matter to him if they liked her or not, but she knew better. She and Sesshomaru were going to be married in the spring, and if his parents didn't approve of her, then it would strain things between everyone. They had been at the ranch for several hours already, but Kagome was anxious and had resolved to keep herself busy cooking Christmas dinner, trying to make sure that everything was perfect. She was also a bit agitated over the fact that Inu had brought Kikyo with him.

Finally, when everything was ready, she went upstairs to retrieve the presents from beneath their bed. The biggest present though, was the surprise that she had for Sesshomaru. She was bent over when Sesshomaru walked up behind her. He grabbed her hips and pulled her affectionately against him. Kagome could feel his arousal pressed hard against her bottom as he leaned over to kiss the back of her neck and caress her breasts through her shirt. She attempted to stand up so that she could turn around, but he would not let her.

"You have the most beautiful ass," he said huskily as he slipped his hand between them to lift her skirt. He torturously grazed his hand along her entrance.

"And you are too good of a charmer to resist," she said as she deliberately ground her hips against him as he pulled her panties to her knees. She felt him unzip his pants and held her breath in anticipation...gasping as he finally entered her with a forceful thrust of his hips. She placed her hands on the bed, and Sesshomaru shoved her forward so that she was lying on her stomach beneath him. He took her hands in his and held them firmly as he continued to thrust into her. Muffled moans escaped from her mouth as he took possession of her body.

Half an hour later, they lay together on the bed, their clothes in a pile on the floor. Sesshomaru had covered them with a quilt, but Kagome was still shaking. He turned to her and covered her with his arm, noticing that she was crying. "Are you alright?"

"I'll be ok."

"What's the matter? What did I do wrong?"

"You didn't do anything wrong, Sesshomaru. Everything is just right." She smiled at him, her eyes glittering with unshed tears.

"What are you not telling me? I can tell; you're keeping a secret."

"I'll tell you when we go to bed later, I promise," she replied as she kissed him gently and moved to get out of bed. "Now get dressed. I need help carrying everything over to the main house, and I'm sure that everyone is wondering what happened to us by now."

Sesshomaru grinned sheepishly as he began to get dressed again.

Everyone looked at them as they entered the living room from the kitchen, their arms full of gifts. Sesshomaru's parents rose to help unload them. Souta, Miroku, and Inu went into the kitchen to start setting the table while Kikyo sat on her butt and looked like an idiot. Kirei toddled quietly to the Christmas tree and started trying to open presents. Kagome scooped her up and held her as Sesshomaru's parents looked her over. Souta broke the tension by announcing that the table was set and that dinner was ready.

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Later that evening, after dinner was finished, the men and Kirei returned to the living room while Kagome stayed behind to clean up. Sesshomaru's sister and mother lingered behind with the pretense of helping out.

"Your daughter is very beautiful. There is no doubt that she is my Sesshomaru's," his mother commented.

"No, there isn't...and thank you."

"You love Sesshomaru very much, don't you?"

"Yes ma'am, I do...with all my heart."

"I just want to be sure that you really love him, and are not just marrying him for his money," his sister stated plainly.

Kagome dropped the plate that she was washing and looked at the girl with such a look of disgust that she was taken aback. "I invite you to my home, share my food with you, and this is how I am thanked. I don't need Sesshomaru's money. I have my own. I love Sesshomaru, and it wouldn't matter to me if he were broke. I am marrying him because **he** **asked me**...not the other way around." Tears began to fill her eyes as she bent down to pick up the broken pieces of glass.

"Hana," her mother said vehemently, "how could you be so rude? Get in the living room...right now." Then she turned to help Kagome. "Please excuse her...she has no manners."

"I'm sorry. It's just that I have tried so hard to make everything perfect...so that you wouldn't have any reason to disapprove of me. I really do love Sesshomaru," she sniffled as she dumped the broken plate into the trash. "You have no idea how hard it was for me, thinking that he didn't care...and then when he suddenly showed back up...it was so hard for me to trust him...to trust anyone. He says that it doesn't matter to him if you like me or not, but I know that isn't true. He says he will still marry me, and I believe him, but I don't want any animosity between us."

"Kagome," the woman said as she took the dish towel and began drying the dishes. "Sit down. Let me finish this while you listen." She paused while Kagome seated herself at the table. "Why on earth would you worry that we wouldn't like you? What is there not to like? As long as you make Sesshomaru happy, that is all we care about. And let me tell you, you and Kirei do make Sesshomaru happy. It is obvious by the look on his face every time he says your name, that he loves you very much. I have never seen him happier, and believe me; he deserves to be happy...speaking of hapiness, have you told him yet?"

"Told him what?" Then it dawned on her what Sesshomaru's mother was hinting at. She somehow knew.

"What?" Sesshomaru said as he walked into the kitchen. He looked at his mother and then to Kagome.

"Not yet. I was saving it for later."

"You haven't told me what?" he asked.

"I think I'll excuse myself. I think you two need to be alone," his mother said a she made a hasty exit to the living room.

He waited until his mother was back in the living room before he turned to Kagome, who was looking out the kitchen window.

"What is it? What haven't you told me?"

"How would you feel about having another baby?"

"What? I'd be thrilled...why?" he asked cautiously.

Kagome didn't reply. She just looked at him, trying not to smile.

"Oh, my god! You're not kidding, are you?" His face lit up. He rushed across the room and hugged her to him. "Please tell me, that you're not kidding."

"No Sesshomaru, I'm not kidding."

Sesshomaru leaned forward and kissed her, a kiss that was filled with such emotion that there was no doubt that he loved her. "Let's go open the presents... and then we can share the good news," he beamed as he took her hand and led her into the living room.

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Later, after everyone had finished opening their gifts, they all sat in front of the fireplace talking. Miroku had noticed the glances that Sesshomaru and Kagome had been giving each other all evening, and the way that they were both practically glowing. Finally, he just had to ask.

"Ok," he said as he stood and looked at them. "What are you two up to? I have seen the way you keep looking at each other like you've got some big secret."

"Well," Sesshomaru said as he took Kagome's hand and stood. "Kagome..."

"Me and Sesshomaru are going to have a son," Kagome said as she stood and embraced Sesshomaru.

"A son?" he asked. "Are you sure?"

"I got the results from the doctor yesterday. It's definitely a boy," she smiled up at him. She could see the joy shining in his eyes.

"When is it due?" Inu asked.

"Around the summer solstice, the middle of June."

"That is wonderful. I am very happy for you," Sesshomaru's father said. "You two certainly make a wonderful pair. I can see that you will have many happy years together."

"Thank you," Kagome said, meeting his eyes for the first time all evening.

"I think it is time that we turn in for the night," he said as he held out his hand for his wife. "We have a long drive in front of us tomorrow."

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"I told you that you had nothing to worry about," Sesshomaru told Kagome as they lay in bed a short while later.

"You're parents are really nice, Sesshomaru. I'm glad they came." Kagome snuggled up against him, her head resting on his shoulder.

He kissed her on the top of her head as he hugged her to him. "You are the best thing that has ever happened to me, Kagome. I want you to know that. "

She smiled lovingly and kissed his chest. "I am so glad that I met you. You are so good to me. I've never been happier in my life."

Sesshomaru raised himself up on one arm and leaned forward to kiss her, brushing his lips faintly against hers. He laced his fingers in the hair that framed her face and pulled her mouth to his, capturing it in one graceful movement. He wondered briefly what he had done to deserve someone who loved him so completely. She smiled up at him as he twirled his fingers in her hair. "I love you so much, Kagome," he said softly as she stroked the side of his face.

_TBC..._

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	27. Chapter 27

**Disclaimer:** All characters pertaining to the show InuYasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi. I am not making any money from this...the only thing that I am getting out of this story is the satisfaction of knowing that other people enjoy my writing. All original characters are my creation and belong to me...as does the plot and storyline.

_**Chapter 27**_

Kikyo woke them up with a knock on the front door. It had snowed during the night and everything was covered in a curtain of white. They trudged over to the main house where everyone was gathered at the kitchen table. Breakfast was already ready, compliments of Sesshomaru's mother. The radio broadcasted a weather bulletin in the background.

"It looks like we are all going to be here a while," Sesshomaru's father said as he entered the kitchen from the living room. "It's a big one coming and most of the roads are shut down north and west of us. They say it won't hit hard here for five or six more hours though. With this many people stuck here, I suggest that someone better head to Heart Butte for some backup supplies."

"I'll go," Sesshomaru said before anyone else had a chance to volunteer. "Souta, you and Nathan need to get out and round up any strays before it's too late."

"No Sesshomaru," Kagome interrupted. "I'll go. You are not used to the roads up here. I am. Besides, they will need you here."

"You are not going out in this!" Sesshomaru protested.

"Excuse me," Kagome said raising an eyebrow at him and crossing her arms.

"You've done it now," Souta said as he turned to retrieve his coat. "She's made up her mind. Here's a bit of advice...don't ever tell her what she can and can't do. She's as stubborn as a mule."

"No. I don't want you to go out in this weather, especially in your condition," Sesshomaru continued.

"I'm pregnant...not paralyzed, Sesshomaru. Out of everyone here, besides Souta and Nathan, I have the most experience with driving in the snow. Now, like it or not, I am going." She looked crossly at Sesshomaru who was at a loss. She went over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. She could see the worry etched clearly on his face, and it softened her resolve some. "I'll be fine, Sesshomaru. If it will make you feel any better, I'll take Hana with me."

"Thank you."

"I'll go too," Kikyo said, surprising everyone.

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Half an hour later, Kagome, Kikyo, and Hana were in Souta's crew cab work truck heading for Heart Butte. It was a slow and arduous trip on the slippery roads. Hana sat quietly in the back seat while Kikyo sat up front with Kagome, who was not exactly thrilled about her presence in the first place. Kagome stayed focused on the roads and said nothing. Kikyo was trying to think of a way to talk to Kagome, whom she knew did not like her in the least.

After about an hour and a half of creeping through the snow, they made it to Heart Butte. There weren't many people on the roads, so they made it to the grocer's without any hassle. It didn't take them long to load up the truck with enough canned food to last them all for about a week. After they were done there, Kagome went to check the post office. It had been several days since it had been checked, so she figured that it needed to be done. Hana had fallen asleep in the back seat.

Kikyo was waiting patiently for Kagome to come outside when she noticed another truck pull up. She closed her eyes and waited. She didn't have to wait long.

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Kagome was bent over getting the mail from their box when the door opened and she heard someone approach. "It's going to get nasty out there," she said to the stranger. Upon receiving no answer, she stood to turn around. But before she could, the stranger put a hand on the back of her head and shoved her, face first, as hard as possible into the wall. Lights exploded behind her eyes and then everything went black.

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Kikyo heard the door to the post office open, so she opened her eyes, thinking it was Kagome. What she saw, was her estranged half-brother carrying Kagome out of the building towards the waiting truck. She could see that Kagome was unconscious and that her head was bleeding. She reached over the seat and hit Hana, jolting her awake.

"I don't know what's he's doing, but I'm gonna try to stop him. I want you to stay hidden as long as you can." After she was finished, she opened the door to the truck and stepped out into the snow.

"What are you doing?" she shouted.

"Getting revenge for what she did to me," he shouted back.

"Stop it. You can't do this," she pleaded as he approached her.

"Yes," he said as he took a gun from the waist of his pants and hit her in the head with it, "I can." He leaned over and picked her up and tucked her into the truck next to Kagome and then peeled out of the parking lot.

_TBC..._

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	28. Chapter 28

**Blessed Yule, Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays!...**as a little gift to all of my reviewers, I am going to be nice and upload the remaining three chapters today...ENJOY...and don't forget to review.

**Disclaimer:** All characters pertaining to the show InuYasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi. I am not making any money from this...the only thing that I am getting out of this story is the satisfaction of knowing that other people enjoy my writing. All original characters are my creation and belong to me...as does the plot and storyline.

**_Chapter 28_**

Hana slowly sat up in the seat of the truck and watched them disappear down the street. Then she climbed over the seat and behind the wheel. She slowly backed the truck out onto the street and followed at a reasonable distance until they left town. When they finally pulled into the drive of a rundown old two-story house, she stopped. She watched the man carry Kikyo into the house and then return for Kagome. Then she turned around and headed back to the ranch to tell everyone what had happened.

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Kagome woke sometime later with a really bad headache. She was on the floor in a room she did not recognize. She rubbed her head. The last thing she remembered was getting the mail. She sat up and looked around. Kikyo was on the floor, unconscious, next to her. She had absolutely no idea what was going on or who had abducted them. She also wondered where Hana was. She hoped that she had stayed asleep in the back seat of the truck. Neither of them was tied up, so whoever had done this had gotten careless. Kagome reached over and touched Kikyo's shoulder, shaking her gently. She didn't want to make too much noise. Kikyo stirred slightly and began to come to. She looked at Kagome with dazed eyes. She looked around them as she gathered her wits.

"Stay here," Kikyo said as she pushed herself off the floor. "I'm gonna go check things out...I'll be right back."

Kagome only nodded in response.

Minutes later, Kikyo returned. She was carrying a couple of blankets. Until then, Kagome had not realized how cold she was. Kikyo handed one of them to Kagome. "He's gone, for now," she told Kagome.

"Kikyo," Kagome asked, "what's gong on? Who's gone?"

Kikyo looked away nervously, obviously not wanting to answer.

Kagome reached out and laid her hand on Kikyo's arm.

"This is all my fault," she said as she began to cry. "I'm so sorry, Kagome."

"What are you talking about?"

"It's my brother, Naraku. He's my half-brother really."

"You mean, Naraku...the one who used to be friends with Sesshomaru."

Kikyo nodded. "He's gone nuts. I can't believe he would do something like this. I never thought he would actually hurt you."

"What do you mean?"

"When he came back from his trip to Sturgis a couple of years ago, he told me that you had sliced his face up. I felt sorry for him. And then when I saw that you were writing to Sesshomaru, I was jealous. I have liked Sesshomaru since the first time I saw him, but he was never interested. It made me angry that he liked you, so I told Naraku about the letters in the mail. He came and took them. I thought that if Sesshomaru never heard from you, he would forget you and maybe turn to me. I never thought Naraku would go this far. I figured that he was just going to scare you for a while and then leave you alone. I thought once that he saw you were a mamma, he would quit. I haven't heard from him in a long time, almost a year I guess. I thought he'd given up. I guess I was wrong."

Kagome sat in silence, pondering Kikyo's revelation...wondering if she could believe a word that she was saying. What choice did she really have? She had no one else to trust. "Did he tell you _why_ I sliced his face up?" she asked as she looked absently at the partially boarded up window.

"No."

"He tried to rape me, Kikyo. That's why I did it. Only two days after I was forced to watch three men rape and murder my best friend...he tried to rape me..."

"I'm so sorry...I didn't know."

"I know." Kagome got up and walked over to the window. Looking out into the blinding snow, she wondered if she was ever going to hold her daughter again or if she would live long enough to give Sesshomaru his son.

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By the time that Hana made it back to the ranch, it was getting dark, and everyone was very worried. The blizzard had hit and they were snowed in. Hana rushed into the kitchen in tears and told her parents and the other guests what had happened. Sesshomaru, Nathan, and Souta were still out in the barn taking care of all the livestock.

Everyone was sitting at the table with a solemn face when the men walked into the kitchen. "What?" Souta asked as he was assaulted by the silence in the room.

Sesshomaru looked around, noticing that Hana was back. "Where's Kagome?"

"There's no easy way to say this," his father said as he stood.

"She's missing," Miroku said as he crossed the room to place his hand on Sesshomaru's arm.

"What do you mean she's missing?" Sesshomaru asked with an edge of panic creeping into his voice.

"She's not missing," Hana said as she looked at Sesshomaru. "She was kidnapped. I saw him carry her out of the post office. Kikyo woke me up and told me to stay hidden. She tried to stop him, but he hit her with his gun and took her too."

"What did he look like?" Souta asked, "Maybe I will recognize him."

"Umm. He was white and about the same height as you, maybe an inch or two shorter. He had long brown hair, about to the middle of his back. It was really dirty, kind of looked like he hadn't had a bath in a long time. His clothes were really dirty too. He had on jeans and a blue jean jacket with a lot of black stains on it. He had on leather boots, like the ones that Sesshomaru wears when he goes riding."

"Hmm," Souta said, "it doesn't sound like anyone local."

"Oh," Hana added in, "and he had a scar on his face." Hana raised her finger and trace her finger along her cheek from the left side of her nose almost to her ear. "It was like this."

Sesshomaru's face paled.

"We know who it is," Inu said solemnly. "If he turned on his own sister, then I guess he finally lost all his marbles."

"Did you see where he took them?"

She nodded, "It was way out north of town. But you'll never find it in the dark. The roads were getting so bad that I almost didn't find my way back to town."

"I don't care," he said as he grabbed his wool lined coat from the rack by the backdoor.

He went into the living room and looked down on Kirei, who was sleeping on the rug in front of the fireplace. He bent down and picked her up, hugging her to his chest and kissed her on the head. Then he put her back down and whispered "I love you" in her ear.

He grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and handed them to Hana. "Give me the directions," he ordered...his face blank.

"You're not going alone," Souta said as he grabbed his own coat.

"No doubt," Nathan added as he too tugged on his coat.

"The more the merrier," Inu added as he began to slip into his leathers.

"Miroku," Sesshomaru said as he saw him reach for his coat, "I want you to stay here, just in case he gets some crazy idea and shows up here." Then he turned to his mom. "Mom, if anything happens to me...I want you to take care of Kirei." Then without another word, he grabbed the directions from Hana, grabbed a shotgun and a box of shells from the gun rack by the back door, and walked out into the storm. Nathan, Souta, and Inu followed suit.

_TBC..._

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	29. Chapter 29

**Disclaimer:** All characters pertaining to the show InuYasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi. I am not making any money from this...the only thing that I am getting out of this story is the satisfaction of knowing that other people enjoy my writing. All original characters are my creation and belong to me...as does the plot and storyline.

**Warning: ****This chapter contains discussion of incest and rape, though not very detailed, and also contains violence and murder. READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION.**

_**Chapter 29**_

Several hours after the sun went down, Kikyo and Kagome ventured into the rest of the house. Naraku had still not returned. The snow from outside was beginning to blow in through the broken windows and the temperature was dropping rapidly. They decided that they needed to find a way to keep warm, or neither one of them were going to last the night. Kikyo was more concerned about keeping Kagome and the baby warm than anything. There was a fireplace in the living room, and judging by the ashes in it, Naraku had been using it to cook and keep warm. There was pile of firewood and matches by the front door, so Kikyo started a fire and they huddled together in front of it.

Kagome nodded off some time later, only to have Kikyo wake her up. "I know you're tired, but you can't go to sleep. You might not wake up. It's too cold in here." She got up and grabbed some more logs to throw on the fire and then crawled back under the blankets with Kagome.

"Kikyo," Kagome asked quietly, "why are you helping me?"

"Because it is the right thing to do. I feel really bad about this. He would have never found you if I hadn't told him about the letters, so in a way this whole mess is my fault. If I had known that that he had tried to rape you too, I would have never told him." She paused briefly.

"What do you mean - me too?"

Kikyo didn't answer.

"You mean...?"

Kikyo nodded as the tears began to stream down her cheeks. "Him and his dad too...For about eight years...until I was 15...Mom was always too drunk to pay any attention."

"When you were only seven?" Kagome felt her heart reach out to Kikyo. What kind of chance had she really been given for a normal life when her older brother and step-father had started raping her when she was only six or seven?

"When I was 15, one of them got me pregnant. I ran away and had an abortion, and never went back. I ran into him a few years ago, and he seemed to have changed, so I decided to give him a chance...I guess he never really changed at all."

"I'm so sorry, Kikyo." Kagome reached over and put her arm around Kikyo. She felt really bad for her and found that it was a lot easier to forgive her now that she knew what she had been through.

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Sesshomaru drove steadily through the blinding snow, his knuckles white against the steering wheel. No one said a word. There was nothing to be said. The worry was evident on their faces. Souta turned on the CB radio in the truck and called a message to the sheriff's department. There was no answer. Suddenly, they heard a loud cracking sound. They watched in horror as a large pine tree snapped in half with the weight of the snow and came crashing down in front of them. Sesshomaru swerved to miss it and wound up getting stuck in the ditch. As the sun began to color the morning sky, they got out and tried to push it back onto the road, to no avail.

---------------------------------------------

Both Kagome and Kikyo had dozed off by the time the sky began to lighten. The fire had begun to dwindle, but was still burning brightly in the mantle.

"Well, ain't this touching," came a gravelly voice from behind them. They jolted awake to find Naraku standing in the front door. The girls both stood, still huddled in the blankets. Naraku leered at them, brandishing a large knife. He pointed the knife a Kagome. "You're gonna pay for this, bitch," he said as he pointed at the scar on his face. She could see that the cut had gotten infected and had scarred horribly.

"I'm not gonna let you hurt her, Naraku," Kikyo said as she placed herself between him and Kagome.

"You ain't gonna do shit. You ain't gonna have shit, 'cause when I'm through with her, I'm gonna kill Sesshomaru too. They are gonna pay for what they did to me."

"You deserved it Naraku. For all the things you did to me and for all the other girls you raped...you deserved it," Kikyo said, still keeping herself between him and Kagome. She put her hand behind her and began steadily moving Kagome towards the kitchen.

Naraku moved towards them as they backed into the kitchen. Kagome made a play for the back door as Kikyo grabbed a chair from the abandoned table and used it like a bat, swinging it at Naraku and knocking him to the floor. Kagome opened the back door and went out into the knee deep snow, followed closely by Kikyo.

They moved as fast as they could to the side of the house, hoping that Naraku had been stupid enough to leave the keys in the truck. No such luck. Blood splattered the snow as Naraku swung the knife at Kikyo, slicing her throat with one clean movement. Kagome reached into the back of the truck and grabbed a tire iron and swung it. She hit his left forearm. She heard the bones crack from the impact, forcing him to drop the knife as he howled in pain. As he dropped in agony, she kicked him in the face and sent him sprawling backwards. Then she turned to make a run for the road.

She was willing to take her chances of freezing to death, but she would not let him kill her. If she was going to die, she decided she would rather freeze than be sliced to pieces. She felt a sharp pain in her left calf. She looked down to see that there was a knife protruding from both sides of her leg. She collapsed, grabbing the tire iron. Naraku pulled the knife free and moved to stab her in the chest, but she swung the tire iron and hit him in the head. As he dropped like a brick, the knife plunged into her belly. She pulled herself from beneath him and used the truck to push herself to her feet. Then she grit her teeth and began to drag herself along what she thought was the road, back towards town. She only made it about ten yards before she fell face first into the snow.

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The county sheriff pulled up to Sesshomaru truck about 40 minutes after they went off into the ditch. He had gone to the post office to get his mail and found the mail from the TwoWolves Ranch scattered all over the floor and blood on the mailbox. He had guessed there was trouble. He had radioed the ranch and Sesshomaru's father had told him what had happened, so he came out to meet them with a bulldozer, hoping to help them in their search. He had been out all night clearing the roads in and around town, so once they got the truck out of the ditch, it was smooth sailing.

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The sun broke the horizon as Sesshomaru's truck and the sheriff's car approached the abandoned house. There was no sign of movement. The men all loaded their guns and made their way towards the house. The front door was open. The sheriff went in first. And finding no one in the house, came back out. As they made their way around the house, they saw Kikyo's body lying in the snow. They rushed over to it, but she was the only one there. There had obviously been a fight, and judging by the location of the other patches of blood, both Kagome and Naraku were injured. Inu nudged Sesshomaru and pointed out into the field. There was a trail of blood leading away from the house near the road. The men followed it until they saw a body.

It was Naraku. He was still alive, though his head was bleeding profusely. Sesshomaru ran to him and grabbed him by the coat, hauling him to his feet.

"Where is she?" He screamed.

Naraku only laughed and pointed.

Sesshomaru followed Naraku's finger with his eyes. About ten yards away began a trail of blood in the snow. Somewhere, at the end of that trail, was Kagome. Sesshomaru dropped him and ran for her, followed closely by the others.

Her eyes were wide open and her clothes were soaked with blood. Sesshomaru dropped to his knees and scooped her up. There was a gaping wound in her stomach and a large gash on her left calf. Her skin was clammy and she was hardly breathing. Tears poured like rain from his eyes as he cradled her to him. He handed her to Souta and picked up his gun. Souta, Nathan and the sheriff headed back to the squad car with her to get her warm. Sesshomaru and Inu walked over to Naraku, looked him square in the eyes. They both chambered a round in their shotguns. Two shots echoed simultaneously across the frozen landscape. They left him there and never looked back.

_TBC..._

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	30. Chapter 30

**Disclaimer:** All characters pertaining to the show InuYasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi. I am not making any money from this...the only thing that I am getting out of this story is the satisfaction of knowing that other people enjoy my writing. All original characters are my creation and belong to me...as does the plot and storyline.

**_Chapter 30_**

Kagome woke up in the hospital. Sesshomaru was a sleep in the chair next to her bed, his hand grasping hers. She turned her head slightly and looked around. She could see Inu and Souta standing in the hallway outside the door.

She thought about it for a moment, but she couldn't remember how she had gotten to the hospital. The last thing she remembered was Naraku bearing down on her with a knife. It had hit her belly.

She jolted upright, grabbing her belly. Sesshomaru jumped up and embraced her. She began to sob uncontrollably, so hard that her entire body shook from the force. She began to hyperventilate.

"It's ok," Sesshomaru coaxed as he stroked her hair. "Everything is going to be fine."

"But our son..." she cried.

"Is fine."

She looked up at him, her face streaked with tears. "How?" she cried.

"He hit you too high. The knife punctured your stomach and intestines. It missed your womb completely." He felt her relax a little as he continued to smooth his hands over her hair. "Relax Koi. I'm not going anywhere."

"How long have I been here?"

"Almost two weeks," he said as he gently pushed her back into a reclining position.

"Where is Kirei?"

"She's with my parents in the lobby."

"I want to hold her."

"She'll be up in a little while. She was hungry, so they took her to get something to eat."

"You look like shit," she joked.

"I haven't left the room since you got here. I wanted to be here when you woke up."

She squeezed his hand weakly.

A nurse came in briefly and checked her vital signs and then left again. A doctor came in and pulled Sesshomaru out into the hall, leaving Kagome to ponder what they were discussing.

-------------------------------------------

"The doctor told me that you should be back to normal in a couple of months, but until then you won't be able to do a whole lot." He squeezed her hand. "Promise me that you will not fight me on this."

"I promise." She smiled softly at him. "I guess I am at your mercy until then."

"You don't know how worried I have been. I thought I'd lost you."

"I'm so sorry," she cried softly.

"I love you so much, Kagome," he said as he leaned over and kissed her softly, brushing the hair away from her tear-streaked face.

Her heart lurched suddenly. "Naraku?"

"Dead."

"Sesshomaru, there's something I need to tell you...about Kikyo."

"She didn't make it."

"I know. Sesshomaru, while we were alone, Kikyo opened up to me. She felt really bad about the way she had acted. She was really sorry for everything. She stood up to Naraku because of that. She died defending me. She was trying to protect me...to get me back to you." She began to shake as the memories came flooding back.

"Shh," he said as he kissed the top of her head. "Just rest now. You're safe; Kirei's safe; I'm right here and no one's going to hurt you, ever again."

**---------------------------------**

_**Chapter 31 – Epilogue**_

Kagome left the hospital the following week. She returned to her home in the mountains with Sesshomaru and Kirei, Souta and Nathan. True to her word, she didn't fight Sesshomaru on his pampering of her.

When spring rolled in and her belly was thoroughly swollen with child, InuYasha and his new wife came to live at the ranch. He had spent several months in Los Angeles and had met the love of his life waiting tables at a Japanese restaurant near Hollywood. Surprisingly, it did not take much to straighten him out. He was most loyal and stopped smoking and drinking; and several months after they had started dating, he asked her to marry him. By the end of their honeymoon, she was pregnant as well. After a near death experience in Los Angeles by a random shooting, Inu decided that he was sick and tired of city life and called up Kagome and Sesshomaru, who welcomed him and his new bride, who he introduced as Kanna, with open arms. As a wedding gift, Sesshomaru and Souta gave Inu and Kanna a small parcel of ranch land and the money to build themselves a new house, agreeing to let them stay in the main house until it was finished.

Miroku moved up to Heart Butte and opened up his own motorcycle repair shop. He decided that since everyone else had moved up there, he would as well. It was not long after he opened his doors that a woman on a fairly new Honda 'crotch-rocket' pushed her bike into his garage. Her back tire was going flat. When she took off her helmet, her ebony hair tumbled out. It was love at first sight when her chestnut eyes met Miroku's violet ones. He and Kagura hit it off well, and not too long afterwards, she moved in with him and began helping him with the mechanic work at his shop. Since he was the only motorcycle repair facility within two hundred miles, he stayed quite busy.

Kouga showed up at the ranch near the end of beginning. No one had seen or heard from him since the death of his mother several years prior. When he arrived unannounced, everyone was thoroughly shocked. Kagome, still swollen with child, sat on the porch while he unloaded his family from their SUV. After chatting with him for a few minutes while waiting for the guys to come in for lunch, she discovered that he had remained with his father after the death of his mother. His father had died several months later, after withering away from grief. Kouga, while settling the family's estates, had met Ayame – a red haired, green-eyed spitfire. After several months of dating, mostly at each other's throats, they separated only to find that they couldn't live without each other. By the end of their second year of marriage, they were blessed with a pair of twins – Shippo, who had red hair and green eyes like his mother, and Souten, who had black hair and icy blue eyes like her father.

Kagome never got to meet Kossori. He left the country shortly after he discovered that his so called 'loving wife' was pregnant with another man's child. He packed up all of his things, and hopped on a plane to Amsterdam, and resigned himself to never come back once he found out that drugs were legal over there. Several months after his arrival, he died from an overdose. No one was ever notified.

Near the middle of June, Kagome gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, whom they named Toshii. He was spitting image of his father with a full head of silver hair and beautiful golden eyes, and a really strong set of lungs, which he seemed to use quite frequently.

A year and a half later, they were blessed with another boy, Nishii. This time, the boy had his mother's eyes, and his dark silver hair was streaked through with sprinkles of black.

Kanna had given birth to a lovely little girl named Amaya. They decided not to have anymore after that.

Sitting alone on the front porch one evening watching the sun set as she waited for Sesshomaru to come in from the pastures, Kagome became lost in thought; so much so that she did not even notice as Sesshomaru slipped up beside her. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his lap. She smiled up at him. "I think we need to change the name of the ranch."

"To what?" he asked as he kissed her tenderly.

"I was thinking...it seems that several journeys have ended up here. I think that 'JOURNEY'S END' would be appropriate."

"Not bad. I will discuss it with Souta."

Several minutes of comfortable silence passed before Sesshomaru spoke again.

"What are you thinking, koi?"

"I was just thinking of my own journey and how it ended."

He hugged her tightly and kissed the back of her neck, "I am glad that my journey ended here...with you."

_**THE END**_

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